Out of Nowhere
by anonymous1912
Summary: Olivia is marrying her college sweetheart Jake tomorrow and her friends want to throw her a party. One crazy night and a guy from seemingly out of nowhere later, Olivia is left questioning everything she knew to be true.
1. Girls night out

**Disclaimer: I don't own Scandal, if I did, that finale would have been totally different. **

**AN: So this is my new story that's been stuck in my head for a minute now. Don't fret, I haven't given up on Until You and that will be updated soon. Anyways, I hope you enjoy :)**

* * *

"Come on Liv, it's your bachelorette party, we have to go to a strip club," Abby tried to convince her for the umpteenth time that night.

Abby set her drink down on the coffee table and adjusted her party hat. Olivia was set to get married tomorrow to her college sweetheart and had begrudgingly agreed to allow her friends to throw her a party. The night had started off fine with loud top 40 music, fruity drinks, snacks, and fun, slightly sleazy party games. Now with the music starting to repeat itself and the drinks all dried up, the girls wanted to go out into the night to seek out excitement.

"No. Absolutely not. I don't think that Jake would appreciate me getting grinded on by random men while my friends throw bills into his g string," Olivia wrinkled her noise in distaste at thought.

"Do you honestly think that Harrison and Stephen aren't dragging Jake to a strip club as we speak?" Quinn pointed out.

"That's what men do on their bachelor party night though. Us women are supposed to drink martinis while my girlfriends give me cheap lingerie and oversized dildo's for gag gifts," Olivia explained.

"But we already did that. Now we want to go to the strip club. Come on, Liv, stop being such a grandma," her other friend Sarah teased.

At twenty-five, Olivia was the same age as her friends, but was by far the most mature. They had taken to calling her the 'grandma' of the group because she was always being sensible. Sensible or not, the thought of going to strip club wasn't in the least bit appealing. Besides, she had all the man that she needed in Jake Ballard. They had met in college as freshmen, him majoring in pre law and her majoring pre-med. Having just recently graduated medical school and him just graduating law school, they thought it was the perfect time to get married.

"I didn't want to have to do this, Liv. I wish you would've agreed on your own but you leave me no choice. I triple dog dare you," Abby challenged, pulling out all the stops.

She and Abby had been friends since elementary school, going to same college and medical school and now doing their internships and residencies at the same hospital. The red head knew that if there was something Olivia couldn't say no to, it was a dare.

"Dammit, Abby, fine. Let's go," Olivia huffed.

"Uh, not looking like that we're not," Abby stopped her.

"What's wrong with my outfit?" Olivia asked, smoothing her hand down her white silk top and flared dress pants.

"Aside from the fact that you're wearing a business suit to your bachelorette party and you have your hair in grandma curls? Absolutely nothing," Abby replied in a sarcastic tone. "Come with me. We wear the same size and I have a little black dress that is calling your name." Abby pulled her towards her bedroom.

"Lord, help me…"were Olivia's famous last words before Abby closed the bedroom doors and went to town.

* * *

"Stop fidgeting, you look great," Quinn chastised as they stepped into the club.

"What kind of name is the Naughty Kitten anyways," Olivia grumbled as she tugged the bottom of her dress again, trying to make more fabric magically appear.

"The name of a strip club," Sarah offered in a way that made Olivia feel like an idiot for asking the question to begin with.

Olivia removed her hands from the hem of the dress that stopped way above her knees and instead combed them through her hair. Abby had turned her grandma curls into sexy waves that framed her face perfectly. The black lace dress revealed more than it concealed and left the majority of her back exposed. The too high black pumps that Abby insisted she wear made her footing unsure and she nearly fell outside, causing the people around her to chuckle at her expense. Abby also redid her makeup, giving her smoky eyes, va va voom lashes, and soft pink lips that made her look like a sex kitten. She had to admit it, she did look hot.

Not that anyone was paying any attention to how she looked. All eyes were focused on the hot men of all shapes, sizes, and colors walking around shirtless and oiled down. There was abs for days. Some of the guys were carrying around drink trays, they had on tight black pants and a bow tie, while others were dancing on platforms that were surrounded by screaming women and dollar bills. Stopping one with a drink tray, Olivia took a shot and downed it, needing all the courage she could get.

The foursome moved further into the club and closer to the main stage. The music pumped out of huge speakers and the fog machine and colorful lighting gave the place a typical strip club ambiance. They maneuvered their way to open seats, Olivia literally having to drag Sarah away from a particularly handsome man, but not before her friend slid a dollar bill into his waistband. The girls had settled in at their table, a round of appletinis on its way to them when the DJ cut the music and made an announcement.

"So I hear that we have a bride-to-be in the building," the audience went crazy and Olivia sank a little deeper into her seat, hoping that he wasn't referring to her. "Will a Ms. Olivia Pope please come to the stage?"

"Are you kidding me? There is no way I'm going up there," Olivia half screeched, completely embarrassed.

"I dar…" Abby almost got out the magic word before Olivia's hand clamped over her mouth.

"Don't you say it. I'm not doing it." Olivia warned her best friend.

Not deterred, Abby licked Olivia's palm and as soon as she pulled her hand away, said "I dare you."

"Ugghhh, I hate you." Olivia mumbled, getting out of her chair and making her way to the stage.

"I love you, too," Abby called to her friend's retreating form. "Have fun!"

Olivia nervously walked up the three steps to the stage and took a seat in the single chair that was positioned in the center of the stage. She could hear random, "You go girl" calls from the audience that would have made her laugh if she wasn't dreading what was about to happen.

The instrumentals to America the Beautiful started to play and two men with dark shades and ear pieces wearing no shirts took post on the sides of the stage. They reminded her of secrets service men. Then a single spotlight beamed down on Olivia and the song changed to a familiar Usher. He was started singing about making love in the club while another spotlight signaled the main dancer.

The stripper wasn't anything that she expected. He was absolutely gorgeous. He looked to be about her age with rock hard abs and curly brown hair. He looked to be about 6'2 and 180 pounds of pure muscle. He wore a patriotic costume complete with a red, white, and blue top hot and Olivia assumed that he was supposed to be the president. He danced to the beat as he neared her. Olivia's breath stilled as he started dancing around, his body moving to the music. His pants wear hanging dangerously low on his hips and Olivia couldn't help but let her eyes drift lower. She unconsciously licked her lips as she eyed the bulge she saw there.

Lowering himself so that he was hovering above her lap, he started to grind into her, making an unfamiliar ache start to build in her stomach. Her nipples tightened against her bra as his skin made contact with hers when he lowered himself further. Taking her hands in his, he rubbed them down his body, her finger tips zinging at the contact. She could feel moisture begin to pool in her panties as he continued his sensuous dance, his hips pressing harder into hers. Looking up and making eye contact, she made a big mistake. She immediately got lost in the desire she saw swimming in his blue-gray eyes that she was sure was not part of the act and the rest of the club faded away.

There was something that unnerved her about the way he was looking at her, about the way he was running his hands up her thighs. Maybe it was the fact that she didn't want him to ever stop or that his simple touch got her hotter than she'd like to admit. Whatever it was, it was enough to make her push him off of her and rush off the stage.

She could hear her friends calling her name, but she needed to find a reprieve and some cold water to splash on her overheated flesh. Once she made it to bathroom, she was thankful that it was clean as she rested her palms on the granite countertops. She looked at her reflection in the mirror and could barely recognize herself. Her skin was flush with red undertones that attested to the blood boiling in her veins and her eyes were nearly black with desire. She just needed a few minutes to gather herself and then she'd be fine.

* * *

Fitz had never reacted so strongly to a woman in his entire life. For him, this was just a job, a paycheck and nothing more. He had done hundreds of lap dances in the few short months that he started working here and never once had one affected him the way this one had. From her pretty brown skin to her full lips that taunted him, he wanted her. When he first got onto the stage, he had to suppress a groan at the sight of her dressed in that little black dress.

He made sure to give her the dance of a lifetime, giving her his best moves. He could tell that she wanted him too from the way she bit her lip to the slight moan she let out when he 'accidently' ground his erection into her lap. And when they made eye contact, he knew it was more than just physical. But then his little minx suddenly pushed him away and ran to the bathroom. He should just let her be, but he couldn't. Exiting the stage the back way, he made sure no one was watching and he made his way to the bathroom.

* * *

Olivia finally felt calm enough to go back out and face her friends when she heard the door creak open behind her. She didn't even have to look to know that it was him. All the air was sucked out of the room and it was filled with his presence. She could barely breathe and the whole five minutes she had just spent calming down went right out the window. Her heart beat faster in her chest as he got closer and closer.

Their eyes connected in the mirror as he pressed his front flat against her back and a palm to her stomach. Her belly quivered under the heat of his touch. She pressed back into him, completely unable to stop herself from doing so. She could feel the stiff bar of his arousal against her ass and she had to bite back a moan. She told herself repeatedly that she didn't know this man but then he lowered his lips to her neck. He opened his mouth against her pulse point and the wet heat caused the throb between her legs to grow stronger. Her head fell back against his shoulder and his hands traveled up to ribcage to cup her breast.

Olivia nearly fell when his fingertips passed over her nipples, causing a streak of fire to shot straight to her core. He continued to grind into her, setting her whole body up in flames. When she didn't think she could take anymore, one calloused hand started its journey up her thigh and under her dress. One finger found its way inside her panties and it was amazingly adept at finding her pleasure point. He rubbed his middle finger against her heated flesh, making Olivia let out a strangled sob between parted lips.

"You're so wet," he groaned and she nearly came at the sound of his deep voice.

Pulling his finger away, she watched in the mirror as he drew it into his mouth. He made a noise that made her tremble as he sucked the digit clean of her essence. Turning her around, he dropped to his knees in front of her. She aided him in hiking up her dress, eager to feel his mouth on her most intimate parts. Her tore her panties from her hips then buried his face between her thighs.

"Oh god," Olivia moaned throatily and slid her fingers into his curls to clutch him closer.

He was doing things with his mouth that couldn't be described and she found herself quickly climbing towards orgasm. The feel of his tongue and the sounds he was making as he ate her turned her on further and before she knew it, she was hovering at the edge. But before she could fall over, he pulled away and stood up.

"I want to hear you scream my name when you come. It's Fitz. Can you do that for me, baby?" He asked, moving his hand to where his mouth previously was.

Unable to speak, Olivia nodded and ground her hips into his palm. He gave her a crooked grin that had her practically dripping before resuming his previous position on his knees. This time he didn't stop until she came screaming his name, the appellation sounding oh so right on her tongue.

Straightening up, he settled between her splayed thighs. Leaning down he captured her mouth and groaned when she parted her lips and let him in. She tasted so sweet and he couldn't get enough. He swirled his tongue around hers, hungrily devouring her mouth in a deep kiss that was taking both of them under. She tugged his bottom lip, nipping at it before sucking it into her mouth. She was moaning loudly and didn't even realize that she was mashing her hips into his until she felt herself on the edge once more.

"I want to be inside you this time," he whispered into her ear, causing her to shudder.

Tugging at his pants, she quickly got them down his hips. She wrapped her fist around his erection, her fingers not able to meet. She licked her lips and guided him to her core. Taking the reins from there, Fitz began to push into her warmth, both of them groaning at the feel of being joined. He didn't stop until he was all the way in to the hilt, completely buried in her tight heat. Olivia was whimpering as he stretched her walls. Then he started to move and she was done. She anchored her nails into his back and held on as he took her on the counter in the bathroom of a strip club.

* * *

"This never happened," Olivia told him, not being able to meet his gaze.

"Like hell it didn't" he yelled back, not willing to let her belittle their experience.

"I'm sure this is a normal occurrence for you seeing as how you're a stripper, but I don't usually make a habit of sleeping with strange men in bathrooms." Olivia pushed past him on her way to the door.

"Contrary to popular belief, I don't sleep around either. This was different. I know you felt it," he told her, pulling her back into his arms.

Pushing him away, she put a safe distance between them before she spoke again. "I am getting married in the morning. This never happened," she repeated and exited the bathroom.

Fitz dropped his head in his palms. He couldn't believe what had just happened. Never before had he lost control like that. There were a lot of misconceptions that came with being a male stripper and he never cared what people thought of him before. He has a reason for doing this, but for some reason, it mattered what she thought of him. Before exiting the bathroom, he vowed that he'd find his little minx, no matter how long it took.

Making her way back to their table, she noticed that Quinn and Sarah were laughing hysterically as they each got a lap dance while Abby made it rain to some stripper up on the main stage. They looked to be having a good time and she really hated to ruin it, but she needed to get out of the club before he found her.

"Liv, where have you been?" Abby asked as Olivia approached.

"The bathroom. Look, I don't feel too good, can we just go?" She pleaded, hoping that Abby wouldn't question her any further.

"Uh, sure," Abby agreed, sensing that there was something else going on. "Sarah, Quinn, let's go," she called to the other two while heading to the table to collect her clutch.

"Awww, do we have to?" they whined in unison like two year olds.

"Yes. Liv doesn't feel well," Abby informed them and they gave Olivia a once over to see if anything was truly wrong.

"Okay, let's go." The girls could see that something was wrong, but they knew it wasn't physical.

Once outside, Olivia filled her lungs with fresh air and tried to banish the memories of Fitz driving into over and over again from her mind. She was thankful that he hadn't left any visible marks, knowing that there would be no way to explain it away on her honeymoon with Jake. _Jake. _His name ricocheted through her brain and with it, brought an immense feeling of guilt. She was never the cheating type and didn't know how she'd walk down the aisle tomorrow knowing what she did.

"Did you have a good time tonight Liv?" Sarah asked as they all piled into a cab.

"You have no idea," she muttered and leaned her head back against the leather of the seat as the cab sped down deserted seats towards Abby's apartment.

* * *

**AN: Mmmm...hot stripper Fitz, lol. So this may or may not have been inspired by Magic Mike, but I promise there's more to the story than a half naked Fitz gyrating on a stage for ones. So next chapter Jake comes. Do you think Olivia marries him? Do you think she tells him she cheated? Did he have some fun of his own during his party? Also, just curious, how many of you actually like Jake and Olivia together on the show? Personally, I like Jake as a character, but Olivia is Fitz's. Plain and simple. Anyways, let me know your thoughts in a review below. **


	2. Breathe

**Disclaimer: I don't own Scandal. **

**AN: WOW! I am blown away from the response to this story. I love all the reviews and it seems like the majority of you don't like Jake. Not that I blame you. Anyways, here's the next chapter. Does Liv marry Jake? Read and find out ;)**

* * *

Breathe. In and out. In and out. Olivia had to remind herself of those simple actions as she stood in the bridal suite of the church. Her dress that had felt perfect just the other day was suffocating her. In her bones she felt she was making a mistake, but she couldn't break Jake's heart. They'd been together for seven years and she wasn't going to throw that away for one moment of passion in a bathroom. No matter how hot it was or how many times she thought about.

The door opened and her mother and Abby walked in. "Wow," two women gasped as they saw Olivia in her full attire. They looked equally as stunning, Abby in her deep purple bridesmaids gown and her mother wearing a lavender dress.

Olivia had a princess type dress that had a sweetheart bodice and was bedazzled with crystals. It synched at the waist before it poofed out into a fluffy mass of tulle. She thought that this was her gown and didn't hesitate to say yes to the dress. But now, the tulle that she had once loved only provided padding for layers of guilt that were hidden underneath the material.

"Sweet pea, you look absolutely breathtaking," her mother said with tears in her eyes. "Jake is going to be speechless when he sees you," she continued and Olivia winced upon hearing her fiancé's name.

Because it last night was the eve of their wedding, Olivia and Jake had spent the night apart. That was both a blessing and a curse. A blessing because she didn't have to face Jake and a curse because the guilt was practically eating her alive. Jake was a good man. From their first meeting in chemistry class to now, he had never done anything to warrant her cheating. But with him, she never felt_ it_ with him like she did Fitz. There was a spark that crackled between them the minute he stepped on stage, but with Jake it was _different. _But he was nice and handsome and he loved her.

Ever since she was little, Olivia wanted to have a marriage that mirrored her parents. Patricia and Rowan Pope had been married for over thirty years, and with Olivia being an only child, she was spoiled immensely. Spoiled and sheltered. Her parents expected her to act a certain way, get certain grades, and have a certain career. From the time she was five she was groomed to be great and she never veered from the path they forged for her. At least not until last night. And it had felt damn good to do something that crazy.

"Mom, can you give me and Abby a minute," she asked, needing to get the whole incident off her chest.

"Sure, sweet pea. I'm going to go check on last minute details with reception," Patricia told her daughter before exiting the room.

"Liv, what's going on? You've been acting funny ever since you left the bathroom last night." Abby was genuinely concerned for her friend.

"Last night…I did something that I don't normally do…"she hinted, unable to say the words.

"Well, duh. I still can't believe we got you to that club last night. Those guys were hot…"Abby was getting lost in her own memories last night.

"I slept with him," Olivia blurted out. She felt an immense weight lifted off her shoulder at her admission.

"Slept with who?" Abby asked, her brows furrowed together in confusion.

"_Him._ The stripper, the one that was dressed like a president." Abby's expression turned from confusion to amusement.

"Wow, Liv. I didn't think you had it in you. Tell me, how was he?" her friend wondered excitedly.

It was just like Abby to think about how good the sex was rather than the real crisis at hand. "Abby! That hardly matters," Olivia scoffed, blush creeping into her cheeks.

"It does matter. Because if it sucked, then you can go out there and marry Jake with no problems. But if it was so good that if he walked into the church right now you'd leap on him, then you have to call off the wedding," Abby rationalized.

"What difference does it make whether it was good or not. I still cheated," Olivia huffed, sinking into a nearby chair.

Reading her friend, Abby sat down next to her and barely got out a "that good, huh?" between laughs.

"It's not funny, Abby," Olivia whined.

"Oh yes it is. This is the girl that wouldn't have sex with Jake until two years ago. Now tell me, how was it? Was it eye rolling, toe curling good?" Abby asked way too enthusiastically.

Finding the twisted comedy in the situation, Olivia laughed too. "Better. Abby, this man had me calling on Allah and I'm not even Muslim."

"Damn."

"I second that. I'm going to burn in hell for bragging about the sexual prowess of my one night stand while sitting in a church on my wedding day," Olivia said on a laugh.

"No, but seriously Liv, what are you going to do?" Abby asked, sobering up from her laughing fit.

"I don't know Abby. Last night was an anomaly, a blip on the radar. Jake and I have been together since we were eighteen. He's all I know. From since I could remember I pictured marrying him and then out of nowhere, this guy comes and screws it all up," Olivia confessed on the verge of tears.

"Maybe that's what the problem is. Liv, you don't know yourself away from Jake. Maybe you need a break before you make any concrete plans. I suggest you sit down with him and tell him what happened. A lie is no way to start a marriage."

Before Olivia could answer, the door opened, her mother's head peeking around the corner to let her know it was time. Abby went out of ahead of her, walking down the aisle with the rest of the bridesmaids. Before she knew it, the traditional music was playing and Olivia's arm was hooked with her father as they stood at the bottom of the aisle.

"I'm so proud of you, sweet pea," he father leaned down to whisper in her ear.

"Thank you, Daddy." Olivia whispered back then looked to the man she was set to marry.

* * *

Jake stood proud at the end, patiently waiting for his bride to make her way to him. She looked beautiful, the dress she wore looked like it was custom made to fit her. He couldn't imagine his life without Olivia. From the first time he walked into Professor Kandisky's chem lab, to now, he only had eyes for her. She tutored him in his science classes and he would stay up late with her while she crammed for her final exams. They were a good match, both having a good head on their shoulders, good careers, and bright future that included 2.5 kids, a dog, and a white picket fence.

The thing that Jake liked the most about Olivia was her familiarity. They'd been together for so long now that her always being seemed like second nature. She was good for him, had kept him grounded during law school and always was there when he needed her. No other woman would ever replace her. He was more than ready to make her his wife. After all, it did seem like the natural next step in their relationship.

* * *

Olivia couldn't even feel her legs moving as she steadily took each step down the walkway. The church was decorated beautifully with tall vases of flowers at the end of each pew. The bridesmaids and groomsmen were all lined up, Quinn, Abby, and Sarah for her and Harrison, David, and Stephen for Jake. The seats were filled with family and friends that had come far and wide to partake in this joyous occasion. She looked at Jake in his black tux and he smiled at her, but it wasn't the crooked grin that she saw last night. Jake's eyes were on her, but they were the wrong color and they didn't hold the desire that the ones last night did. He was too short and his hair was too straight. He wasn't Fitz.

Breathe. In and out. In and out, she reminded herself as the memories of last night took over. Breathe.

"_Fitz…"she screamed as he maneuvered them against the door to the bathroom._

"_I love it when you saw my name," he murmured in her ear before taking her lips in a searing kiss._

In.

"_I can't…I just…oh god," she moaned, meeting him thrust for thrust._

_His fingers dug into her thighs and his mouth attached to her nipple. _

And out.

"_I'm so close. Don't stop…please don't stop," she begged as he pounded into her from behind. _

"_Come for me…"_

In

"_Tell me your name," he growled between clenched teeth, hitting her spot and turning her brain to mush._

_At this point she could deny him nothing and whimpered out, "Olivia."_

And out.

"_Fiitttzzz,"she wailed as he sent her over the edge yet again._

_She could feel him jerk inside her, his orgasm forcing hers to go on forever. "Livi…"_

Just Breathe.

Before she knew it, her father was passing her off to the man that she was supposed to be spending the rest of her life with. Jake took her hands, kissing each before turning to face the pastor. Olivia couldn't even look him in the eyes and she really didn't know how she was expected to get through her vows knowing what she did last night. She was still surprised that she hadn't been struck down yet.

"We are gathered here today to witness the holy matrimony of Olivia Carolyn Pope and Jake Bartholomew Ballard. If anyone has just reason for these two not to be wed, speak now or forever hold your peace," the pastor began and the silence in the church was deafening.

Olivia prayed that someone, anyone would speak up. But as she looked out into the sea of people no one did. The ceremony continued with the pastor speaking of eternal love and two souls becoming one. Olivia tuned the majority of it out, wanting to literally be anywhere but where she was.

She absentmindedly repeated her vows, thankful that she didn't write her own. Everything she said seemed like a lie, but how was she supposed to let her family down? Let Jake down? Jake said his vows next, saying each word with a conviction that Olivia wished she could muster.

"Do you, Jake, take Olivia to be your lawfully wedded wife?" the pastor asked before Olivia was ready.

"I do," Jake said confidently.

"And do you, Olivia, take Jake to be your lawfully wedded husband?"

Silence. Not an answer, not a head nod because she was too choked up to speak. Not a squeak, not a sound for two whole minutes. Silence except for the sound of her breathing in and out.

"Olivia?" Jake asked, confused by her lack of an answer.

"I uhhh…"

* * *

Fitz had been searching for Olivia two weeks with no such luck. The DJ had given him her last name, having announced it the night of her party, but that's where the clues stopped. Fitz was no private investigator and after his quick Google search for either a Facebook page or a Twitter account showed no results, he decided to try plan B. Wait for her to come to him. He wasn't cocky or anything but he knew when two people connected like they did, they'd have to meet again.

In the meantime, he was swamped. Between his real job and the stripping gig taking up all his time, he really did not have enough energy for much else. However, no matter how busy he got, he couldn't stop himself from thinking of her.

From the way her brown thighs wrapped around his waist to the way her breath would hitch right before she exploded, he was bewitched. In the back of his brain, he knew that she wasn't his to covet. She was probably lying on a beach right now sipping Mai Tai's with her new husband. The thought of another man touching her made him physically ill.

Luckily he had a day off from both of his jobs last night, a rare opportunity that he took full advantage of by sleeping almost eighteen of the twenty four hours. Unfortunately, that didn't last and it was time for him to go back to work. Swinging his legs to the floor, Fitz stretched his sore muscles before getting up completely. After getting out of the shower, Fitz grabbed his tools, a brown paper bag containing his lunch, and got ready for another long day.

* * *

"Olivia, you've got a patient coming in from the ambulance. It's a construction worker that fell off his ladder while trying to nail in a beam. According the EMTs he has a broken leg, head trauma, cracked ribs, and most likely a collapsed lung," one of the other residents, Mellie, informed her.

Olivia really loved being a physician, but doing rounds in the ER was tough for any new doctor. The pace was fast and the job was stressful. But it was more than worth it when she was able to save a life, to fix a problem that someone came in with.

Grabbing a blank chart from the board, she asked Mellie for the description of the man that was coming in. "He is a twenty something white male, about 6'2, 190 pounds or so. Currently unconscious due to the head trauma and potential internal bleeding."

"Okay. Get me the materials to make a splint and call OR and let them know we have a collapsed lung and internal bleeding about to come in." She ordered just as the EMTs were wheeling in the patient.

Thirty minutes later, her patient was off to the OR with a good possibly of a full recovery. The success stories were the best and the feeling of a job well done always gave Olivia a sort of high. Taking off her bloody gloves and tossing them in the trash, Olivia went back to her post to wait for the next person to come in off the ambulance.

"Team meeting in the on-call room," their mentor, Dr. Cyrus Beene, informed all the residents.

Olivia loved the older man. He was a brilliant doctor that had been practicing for longer than Olivia had been alive. She heard horror stories of people getting mentors that didn't even speak, would just stand back and watch as they worked on a patient then would rip them apart afterwards. Cyrus was more of a learn as you go kind of teacher, correcting mistakes as soon as they occurred to assure the full safety of the patients.

All five residents including Abby and Olivia piled into the small on-call room. Olivia idly wondered what the meeting could possibly be about, then looking up, she was met face to face with the answer to her question. Standing beside Cyrus was the man that had been haunting her dreams for the past two weeks. Although he looked a little different in scrubs instead of oiled down with no shirt on, there was no mistaking that this was Fitz.

"Holy shit is that…?"Abby started to question before Cyrus answered for her.

"This is Dr. Fitzgerald Grant. His is our newest resident and will be taking the place of Gerald who apparently didn't know that he fainted at the sight of blood. He graduated from Harvard Medical School and just recently finished rounds in pediatrics," Cyrus introduced.

Fitz greeted everyone, each person telling him their name as he went down the line. When he got to Olivia, they feigned not knowing each other but he winked at her before moving on to Abby. How the hell was this possible? A stripper turned doctor? And of all the hospitals in the world he had to choose this one?

She didn't think it was possible, but he looked better than she remembered. There was something about seeing that stethoscope around his neck that made her want to play doctor. _Get a grip_, Olivia chastised herself. _He's just a man. A hot, sexy man that had you crying out his name within twenty minutes of meeting him. _ Shaking her head to clear the dirty thoughts that were floating around her brain, Olivia tried to focus on what Cyrus was saying.

"Olivia, I want you to get him caught up on the schedule and how things work in the ER," Cyrus told, only the three of them still in the room. Everyone else must have left when she was daydreaming about Fitz's mouth doing wicked things all over her body.

"Me? Can't Rogers do it? He's been here the longest out of all of us." There was no way she would be getting stuck with him. Already her body was starting to react to him simply being in her vicinity.

"We all know that you're the best resident here, regardless of time served. You are the most equipped to get him caught up. It's not a permanent buddy system, only for few days until he can perform on his own," Cyrus reasoned, giving her no choice but to accept.

Before she could protest any further, Cyrus' pager went off signaling that a patient just came in. "Show him his locker and where we keep all the equipment," Cyrus instructed before leaving them alone in the room.

"Well, well, well Ms. Pope, we meet again," Fitz smirked as he came closer.

"I guess we do. And it's not Ms. Pope, its Dr. Ballard."

* * *

**AN: I know, I know. Don't shoot me. I hated writing that last line, but believe me it's necessary for an interesting story line. Don't count him out just yet. ****How many thought that Fitz was the construction working? How many guessed that he was going to be a doctor? We'll learn more next chapter on what made him take the gig, but all I gotta say is that student loans are a bitch and a half. Oh, and just in case you missed it, Mellie is a resident in the ER too. Anyways, let me know your thoughts, angry or otherwise, in a review below, they make me smile every time I get a new one**


	3. Mistakes

**Disclaimer: I don't own Scandal.**

**AN: I just want to say a million thank yous for all the reviews, favorites, and followers. It makes me so happy to know that you guys are enjoying my writing. Speaking of, a lot of you thought that Fitz was the construction worker but some guessed he was going to be the doctor. It was about fifty fifty for the guesses on whether on not she was going to get married, but 100% of you didn't want it to happen, lol. Believe me, I have my reasons. Anways, enough of me babbling. Happy reading ;)**

* * *

"You married him?" The amount of hurt that came with those three little words knocked Fitz off kilter. Why should he care if she married him or not?

"That's normally what engaged people do. They get married." Olivia tried to move around him but he blocked her path.

"Do engaged people also screw other people the night before their weddings?" That was a low blow and he knew it, but he did to it get a reaction out of her other than cool indifference. From the look on her face, it worked. Although he didn't exactly want her anger either.

Olivia had to ball her fists up at her sides to keep from slapping him. If they were going to be working together, then they'd need to at least be civil. Tensions could get in the way of their professionalism and that could literally cost someone their life. So she decided to remain silent, but of course Fitz had more to say.

"Dr. Ballard? You don't exactly seem like the type to change your last name," Fitz addressed, but if he were being honest, he really didn't know what type of person she was.

"Technically I didn't," she admitted, slightly embarrassed that she chose to go with the dramatics when telling him that she got married.

"Good to know. So are we going to talk about that night or what?" He was tired of tiptoeing around the seven thousand ton elephant in the room.

"Look, why don't we forget that ever even happened. I'll train you for the next couple days, then after that, you stay away from me. Deal?" Olivia said and offered her hand to shake. Mistake number one.

Fitz took her hand in his and used it to pull her flush against his chest. His body, god that body, was a solid mass of muscle that somehow fit hers perfectly. She trained her eyes to look down at her tennis shoes, knowing that if she looked up at him it would all be over. Knowing that she wouldn't do it willingly, his index finger came up under her chin to lift her gaze to his. The move was so gentle that she forget that she was supposed to be shielding herself and allowed her head to go in the direction he was guiding it. But before she could meet his eyes, she closed hers and effectively built her wall back up. Or so she thought.

"Look at me." The command was low but it pierced through her body nonetheless. "Olivia…Livi…look at me."

Unable to resist, she slowly raised her lids. Mistake number two. She was a goner the moment his gray eyes locked with her brown ones. Hell, if she were being honest with herself, she'd admit that she was gone the minute he walked out on stage that night over two weeks ago.

"I'm not going let you pretend that I don't exist. That _we_ don't exist." While his tone was still soft, there was an unmistakable edge to it that let her know he wasn't playing around.

"I'm married. This," she motioned between them, "whatever this is, it needs to stop." She didn't know if she was trying to him or herself.

"It' just getting started." Before she had time to think, his lips were on hers, turning whatever response she might have had into a moan.

God help her, but damn this man could kiss. His lips were soft and firm and the sexiest thing that she'd ever seen. They moved over hers perfectly, his tongue occasionally darting out, trying to seek permission for entrance. And she let him in. Mistakes numbers three, four, five, and six. She missed him, missed his touch, his taste, his smell, and she didn't even know how much until now.

She barely registered the click of the lock before he was carrying her over to the cot in the corner. Her back hit the unforgiving surface of the bed that was supposed to be used to catch up on sleep between shifts. It was nearly impossible to get any sleep on the uncomfortable mattress, but she could be on a bed of nails right now and would swear up and down she was lying on clouds with Fitz being between her legs.

Her legs naturally found themselves wound around his waist as she wantonly canted her hips up to meet his. She kissed him hard, her tongue dueling with his in an effort to make up for lost time. He ground against her harder, letting her know exactly what was going on and what was about to happen. She was ready for it, god she was _so_ ready for it.

"Did you think about me?" He whispered and painted the shell of her ear with the tip of his tongue. "Did you think about us and how we fit so perfectly together?" and to prove his point, he thrust against her.

She moaned, completely incapable of forming an answer. How could she say that she thought about him every second while she was away on her honeymoon? How could she tell him that she craved his touch and was disappointed when she was met with Jake's?

Didn't matter that she couldn't speak anyways because he voiced everything that she was feeling. "Your husband doesn't do it for you does he? He doesn't make you scream like I do. Doesn't make you crazy with want like I do."

He needed to stop talking. The gruff sound of his voice mixed with him still pressing against the juncture of her thighs was wreaking havoc on her senses. She had to remember where they were and bit her lip to hold in a cry. His fingers went to drawstring of her scrub bottoms, pulling at it until it came undone. Her hold on his neck tightened as she eagerly anticipated his next move. He slowly slipped his finger in her waistband, a move designed to torture her and have her nearly begging for more. He let the tip of the same finger play at her hipbones, dipping in right below her panty line then coming back out to explore other parts of her pelvis.

"_Please_…"she whimpered, needing him to stop teasing her.

"Please what?" his tone was smug.

"I want…I need…" How could the slightest touch turn her, Olivia Pope, girl who could talk for days, into a babbling idiot?

Deciding that he'd tortured them both enough for now, he gripped the sides of her bottoms and panties and tugged them down her legs. The green material pooled on the ground below in a sloppy heap but his attention was on the smell of her lust rising between them.

Olivia glided her hands under his shirt, smoothing them down his taut stomach. She felt him tense then shudder under her touch. She looked up at him, his pupils taking over the majority of his irises so that it was only a thin band of gray. Her fingers moved lower to the drawstring of his bottoms, tugging at it slowly and feeling the knot give way until it came undone. She reached her hand inside and palmed him through his boxers, his eyes closing and his jaw flexing to exercise control.

Pulling her hand away, Fitz lowered his briefs and pants enough to get the job done and poised himself at her entrance. Instead of pushing in, he rubbed himself against her slick heat, saturating his length in the proof of her arousal. He watched as she writhed underneath him, her teeth worrying her bottom lip and her eyes screwing shut. Lowering himself onto her a little more, her was getting ready to take her when a distinctive beep beep beep went off.

"Fuck…"Fitz cursed, checking the pager that was clipped to his waistband that was currently hanging haphazardly around his knees. "It's an emergency. I gotta go," he told her regrettably.

Olivia hadn't even gotten the chance to come back to reality before he was off of her and heading out the door. What the heck just happened? She was two seconds away from cheating again with absolutely no thought to how this could affect Jake. She still wasn't even truly concerned about him. All of her attention was on the aching throb between her legs that Fitz left her with. She wanted him_. Stupid patients, always needing a blood transfusion or a bullet taken out of their chest_, she huffed silently to herself. She knew she shouldn't be thinking that way, but Hippocratic Oath be dammed, she had needs too.

She gave herself five minutes to cool down and cleanup. Reaching the door, she composed herself with a final breath and headed out. Checking her watch, she noticed that they'd been m.i.a for nearly half an hour. Guess time really did fly when you were having fun. Going to the wall that held the charts for all the patients that had already been triaged, Olivia grabbed one and started to review the symptoms listed.

"Mmmmhhhmmm," she heard Abby's judgmental hum and Olivia shook her head for what she knew what was about to come.

"What?" Olivia asked, deciding to play dumb.

"Don't what me, Liv. I saw Dr. Hotty come out of the on-call room looking deliciously frazzled and what do you know, five minutes later, outcomes my best friend with her pants twisted and a hickey on her neck."

Olivia slapped a hand to her neck and Abby laughed. "I can't believe I fell for that," Olivia groaned as she righted her pants.

"I knew you'd never admit to it otherwise. Speaking of, Olivia, what are you doing?" And there it was, the look that told Olivia that she needed to get her shit together.

"I don't know, Abby. He just…there's something about him that I find irresistible. All he has to do is breathe and I want him. I don't know what I'm going to do. Maybe I should put in for a transfer," Olivia sighed, closing the chart in her hand and turning fully to her friend.

"Don't let him run you off. Look, you obviously chose to marry Jake for whatever reason and this _fling_ with Fitz needs to be pushed aside and buried deep," Abby told her honestly.

"You're right, but I'm afraid that it's not just a fling. I think I may have feelings for him," Olivia confessed quietly.

"You don't even know him. This is just dick obsession. Believe me, I've had a few good lays that had me screaming out 'I love you', but it's not real. You and Jake have history and real relationship. At least give it some time before you throw it all away for a guy that gets you hot in the pants. If it doesn't work out later, then okay, at least you can say you tried. You need to get a grip, Olivia." The tough love was hard to hear, but it was necessary.

"Ok, you're right," Olivia admitted, taking everything she said to heart.

"I know I am, now let's go see about this patient complaining of stomach pains."

* * *

Olivia tiredly sagged against her door as she threw her keys into the catchall and slipped her tennis shoes off her aching feet. She had just finished a fifteen hour shift and was in desperate need of a shower and her pillow. The lights were off, but she had seen Jake's car outside and knew that he was home.

"Jake?" she called out, curious as to where he was.

"I'm in here," she heard him yell back from the vicinity of the dining room.

Damn. Today was Tuesday and Tuesday was romantic dinner night. A few years back, Olivia and Jake set up a schedule for the week. Movie Monday, romance Tuesday, chill out Wednesday, taco Thursday, TV night Friday, park on Saturday, and church followed by family dinner on Sunday. What had once held appeal and structure now seemed mundane and boring. Right now she didn't want to make small talk with her husband. She wanted to do something different, something unexpected. She wanted to do something with Fitz.

Walking into the dining room, she saw the meal he had cooked, the usual spaghetti and meatballs with garlic bread and red wine. The candles were out and the lights were dim. Everything looked nice, but oh so familiar. Jake sat in his seat across from hers, his tie loosened and his sleeves rolled up his forearms. He smiled at her when she came into his view and Olivia immediately felt like a bitch for not being appreciative. Some women's husbands didn't even remember anniversaries and hers set up a nice meal for her every week. Coming fully into the room, she took a seat at the table.

"Hey sweetheart, how was your day?" Jake asked considerately as he proceeded to scoop spaghetti onto Olivia's plate.

"Stressful. There was a bus crash downtown today so all the patients came to us. We were swamped for like four hours straight," she told him around a deep yawn.

"Well, that's the life of a doctor. My day was pretty interesting too," Jake said and switched the conversation to himself.

"Oh yeah?" Truth be told, she honestly couldn't care less, but then Abby's words circled in her head and she tried to listen.

"Yeah. I shared an elevator with one of the partners today and we got to talking and next thing I know, he's inviting me to play golf with him on Saturday," Jake shared excitedly, "After a few rounds of golf, me letting him win of course, I'll be on the fast track to a promotion."

"Good for you, I'm proud of you Jake," Olivia replied as she twirled more spaghetti on her fork.

The rest of the dinner continued with more of Jake babbling on about his golf outing on Saturday. Midway through, he realized that he'd be skipping out on their usual trip to the park, but Olivia assured him that it would be okay. Subdued, he continued to go on and on about the happenings in his office, telling her stories of his assistant Alissa forgetting to give him his missed calls. Olivia nodded at the appropriate times but her mind was elsewhere. More specifically, her mind was on the on-call room with Fitz earlier that day.

"Olivia…" Jake's voice snapped her back to attention and she could tell that he had been calling her name for a while. "Are you ok?"

"I'm sorry, I'm just really tired. You mind if I skip the rest of dinner and just go take a shower?" she asked, already getting up.

"Sure, no problem. I'll clean up here and join you in bed after I check my emails."

A few hours later, Olivia felt Jake slide into bed beside her. He curved his body against hers and kissed her neck. Ever since they got back from their week long honeymoon in Hawaii, she had been avoiding being intimate with him. She figured it was unfair to him because she'd be thinking of someone else the entire time.

"Liv, are you awake?" Jake whispered and slid his hand around her waist.

For a split second she considered not answering and giving a fake snore to really drive the point home. But she was supposed to be trying right? Turning in his arms, she pressed her lips to his. Jake eagerly kissed her back with sloppy, too wet kisses. His hand moved to grope her breast and Olivia tried to get into the mood but failed miserably.

"Jake, can I take a rain check please? I'm exhausted." She could see the disappointment in his eyes.

"I don't want to sound like one of those asshole husbands, but Liv, it's been over a week. Are you sure that you're too tired?" He gave her his best seductive smile and rubbed against her.

"Yeah, I'm sure."

Jake rolled off of her and to his side of the bed. She could hear him shuffling then a few seconds later the lamp came on. He had been doing crossword puzzles for the last few nights when she would turn him down. Had Fitz not shown up out of nowhere today, then maybe she would have been up to it. But there would be no way she could have sex with her husband after nearly screwing her lover. Burrowing deeper into her covers, Olivia pulled on her sleep mask to block out the light and quickly fell asleep.

* * *

"When a patient first comes in, they're triaged. At the triage counter, their weight, blood pressure, and the oxygen levels in the blood are taken and the patient gives a description of all of their symptoms. The triage nurse then charts the information and the patient goes back to their seat while they wait for one of us to pick up the chart," Olivia explained to Fitz as she showed him around the waiting area of the ER.

"Do we take the one that has the most life threatening symptoms?" He asked her as he took a look at some of the patients that were waiting.

"Technically we're supposed to go in order of who got here first. However, some doctors will take easier patients first to get them out of the way while others like myself will take those with more serious symptoms. It really all depends on you."

Fitz nodded his head and followed her back into main area. She had already showed him his locker, where the cafeteria was, explained to him the phone system, and told him the codes so that he could get into medicine cart and the OmniCell that held various materials. All the while, she kept a professional distance and tone with him, making sure that he knew that whatever they had needed to stop.

"Any more questions?" She turned to him and he shook his head.

"Nope, none that I can think. Oh wait, I have one, can I get your phone number?" he added slyly with a smirk and Olivia had to hide her smile. He was nothing if not persistent.

"No you can't have my phone number. If you need to get in contact with me for work reasons, you have my pager number," Olivia retorted and turned to go check some of the charts.

"You do know that I'm not going to give up, right?" he called to her retreating form.

"You're fighting a losing battle..."

* * *

"Uh, Liv, you might want to watch Dr. Bitch around your man," Abby murmured as they left a patient's room and pointed to the nurses' station.

Dr. Bitch was their nickname for Mellie. From day one the other woman had been difficult. She would take the easiest patients then complain that she took on the majority of the workload. Olivia had to keep Abby from cussing her out on multiple occasions. Nobody seemed to like except for Cyrus. For some reason, he was able to tolerate her personality.

Looking towards the direction Abby was referring too, Olivia saw Mellie practically hanging all over Fitz. Feigning indifference Olivia said, "He's not my man, Abby. He's allowed flirt with whoever he wants. And what happened to me needing to throw myself into my marriage?"

"I'm just saying…" Abby replied and left Olivia to watch Mellie try and flirt with Fitz.

A burning jealously filled Olivia's system as she saw Mellie put her hand onto Fitz's bicep. Her feelings were ridiculous and unfounded but were there anyways. He wasn't hers, she had a husband. And yet that thought didn't stop the joy from erupting when she saw Fitz remove Mellie's hand from his arm.

Before she could stop herself, her feet were moving of their own accord to nurses' station. "Dr. Grant, Dr. Bi-Montgomery, what's going on here?" Olivia questioned, trying hard to keep the envy from her voice.

"Dr. Grant and I were just discussing our upcoming dinner plans," Mellie bragged and gave Olivia her perfected fake smile.

"Oh is that so?" Olivia turned to Fitz to see his answer.

"I wouldn't exactly call it dinner plans. We're both pulling a double shift tonight and agreed to head down to the cafeteria together when we got hungry," Fitz reassured her.

"Not that it's any of my business," Olivia added, ridiculously happy that he wasn't taking the ice queen to dinner.

"You're right, it's none of your business. In fact-"

"Isn't there a patient that needs a Band-Aid or something Mellie?" Olivia cut her off before she could continue.

Huffing, Mellie turned and left Fitz and Olivia alone. "So you and Mellie are getting pretty cozy," Olivia pointed out.

"My word, Dr. Pope. Are you jealous?" Fitz asked, putting a hand over his mouth to add dramatics.

"No," Olivia answered a little too quickly for it to be believable, "I just wanted to warn you that Mellie is a bit of a bitch and to not get sucked into her web."

Lowering his voice so that no one else could hear him, he replied, "The only place that I want to get sucked into is your hot, tight, wet…"

"Goodbye, Dr. Grant," Olivia cut him off before he could finish his sentence and quickly left.

Alone at the nurses' station, Fitz chuckled to himself as he watched Olivia walk away. If he wasn't mistaken, he could've sworn that she added an extra sway to her hips to drive him crazy. He had made it his personal mission to learn everything about Olivia Pope. He wanted to know what made her laugh, what made her cry, what her favorite color and movie was. He wanted her to wear his ring instead of her joke of a husband's. But for now, he'd settle for a phone number. Turning to one of the nurse's seated in front of a computer, Fitz put on his best smile.

"Can you help me with something?"

* * *

Olivia was sitting on her couch, mindlessly flipping through channels Saturday afternoon. She luckily had the day off and with Jake on his golf outing, she was left home by herself. She had already caught up on her emails, read up on some new medical foundings, and cleaned up the apartment. It was barely twelve and she was completely bored.

The buzzing of her phone took her out of pity party. Sliding her thumb across the screen to unlock it, Olivia clicked on the message icon and read her text. **Unknown: meet me in the parking lot of the hospital in half an hour, F.**

'F' could only be one person. Fitz. She only contemplated her decision for a minute before she was hopping off the couch and heading to her bedroom to get changed. Ten minutes later she was writing a note for Jake explaining she wouldn't be home till later, and grabbed her keys before heading off to go meet Fitz. Mistake number seven.

* * *

**AN: so what did you think of the chapter? Would your speech to Olivia have gone similar to Abby's? Do you agree that she should at least try with Jake? Speaking of Jake, he seems like a nice guy, but is just extremely boring. Olivia is coming out of her shell, thanks to Fitz, and is wanting more out of life. She's tired of the routine. And what about Jake trying to get it on with Liv, lol. He's in for a lot of crossword puzzles. And Mellie trying to push up on Fitz, smh. Anyways, let me know what you thought in a review below and I gonna busy myself with writing the next chapter in the meantime. **


	4. So special

**Disclaimer: I don't own Scandal**

**AN: So a surprising number of you thought that she should at least try with Jake. Others thought that she needed to be honest and get the hell out. I'm kinda in middle, I haven't made up my mind towards either way yet. Again, I want to say thank you for all the wonderful reviews, they give me so much life, lol. Anyways, let's see why Fitz called Olivia to the hospital parking lot.**

* * *

Fitz jiggled his keys in his hands as he impatiently waited for Olivia in the parking lot thirty minutes after he sent the message. Checking his watch, he noted that it had only been thirty seven seconds since the last time he checked it. She never texted him back and he was starting to worry that she wouldn't show. Scanning the concrete structure, he saw no sign of her and was starting to get the feeling that she wasn't going to show up. Sighing in defeat, he was turning towards his car when he heard her voice.

"How did you get my number?" Her tone was angry, but the smile hinting at the corner of her mouth made it null and void.

She was standing about ten feet away and he had no clue how she was able to sneak up on him. So far Fitz had seen her in a skin tight dress, scrubs, and naked. While the latter was his favorite by far, she looked so sexy standing in front of him in a pair of khaki shorts, gray JHMS t-shirt, and TOMS. There was something about seeing her look casual and completely comfortable that turned him on. Truth be told, she could be wearing a potato sack and he'd be turned on.

"I have my ways," he told her and she knew that there was no way he was going to tell her his source.

Olivia discretely eyed Fitz up and down. He was clad in a white v neck, blue shorts, and a pair of Converses. Aviators covered his eyes and his curls were gelled to perfection. He looked like he should be on some type of magazine cover, not standing in a parking lot waiting for her.

"Why did you call me here?" Olivia asked, curious to see what he wanted.

"It's a surprise," was all he told her before he unlocked his car and headed to the passenger side to open the door for her. "You coming?"

She squinted her eyes and cocked her head in a way that said 'are you kidding me' and topped it of by placing a hand on her hip. "So I'm supposed to just get in the car with you and go God knows where to do God knows what?" This man couldn't be serious, but she had to admit that the thought did intrigue her.

For last few days that he and Olivia worked together at the hospital, Fitz would quietly observe everything about her. He noticed how she would hold the hands of the younger patients to let them know everything was ok, how she would rush to wherever she was needed without hesitation to save a life, how she would ask people questions that out of the ordinary to try and pinpoint a problem. But he also noticed that she used familiarity as an excuse to hide and would only show her true colors when she was thrust into the unknown. He suspected that's one of the reasons why she was a doctor, to try and create some excitement in what otherwise had to be a boring existence. And that's where he came in. He was going to shake up everything she knew and would make her question whether she truly wanted to be in her marriage. And he was going to start with their outing today.

"Yup, that's the plan." He gave her the crooked grin that sent her system into a tailspin and stood by the car door waiting for her to climb in. "Come on, Livi, you know you want to."

There was just something about him that she couldn't resist. She knew that she should've just gotten in her car and went home to wait for Jake. But she didn't want to do that. She wanted to go wherever Fitz was taking her and that's exactly what she was going to do. Rounding the car, she got in and buckled up, all the while completely aware of Fitz's triumphant smirk.

* * *

"Exactly where are we going?" She asked after they had been traveling for close to forty five minutes.

"Maybe you should Google the meaning of the word surprise because I don't think that you quite grasp the concept," Fitz teased, which earned him a light smack to his arm.

"Fine, since you won't tell me where we're going, tell me something else," Olivia bargained.

"I'll tell you anything you want to know," he told her and took his eyes off the road for a second to smile at her. She couldn't help but to smile back.

"Okay. Why do you strip? It's not as if we get paid minimum wage as doctors." She had been trying to figure out the answer to her question for a while now but kept coming up empty.

"I need the money," Fitz stated simply.

"Why? Are you in some type of trouble? Have a gambling debt that needs to be paid?" She needed more information than he needed the money.

A smile that didn't reach his eyes came across his face and he sighed. "No, I'm not in any type of trouble and I don't owe anybody any money. Except for the bank. College and medical school were extremely expensive and while my pay check from the hospital helps, it's not enough to pay back the loans."

"So why stripping?" Olivia didn't think that was a logical solution to his problems.

"It's fast money and the schedule is flexible," he said as if it were obvious.

"And your parents couldn't help you out? Mine did and that's why I'm not debt." Her family was pretty well off with her father having some government job and her mother being a psychiatrist.

"Initially, they were until I told them my major. You would think parents would be proud of their kid going pre-med, but not mine. From a young age, they wanted me to be in politics. My father was the mayor of our town and he wanted me to follow in his footsteps. When I didn't, he cut me off completely, sticking me with an expensive car note, an apartment I couldn't pay for and tuition for eight years of schooling," he told her and Olivia could see that he held some animosity towards his family.

"So that's why you strip in a president costume? A final eff you?" She figured out.

"That's exactly why," Fitz laughed.

"How long have you been stripping for?" He was a pretty good dancer and looked like he had been doing it for a while.

"Not too long actually, just a few months. My buddy told me about it and I decided to give it a shot. So far, I've earned enough between both jobs to make a sizeable dent in my debt."

"Really?" she could've sworn that he wasn't an amateur.

"You sound surprised," Fitz chuckled and spared her a glance before returning his eyes to the road.

"I am. It's just…that night, you didn't seem like you were new to the club," she told him then added, "Not that I know what a seasoned stripper looks like."

"That's because I was trying my absolute hardest to impress you. And lucky for me, it worked," he said and waggled his eyebrows.

Olivia was about to respond when she saw a sign that read 'Kings Dominion next right' up ahead of them. "Fitz, please tell me that we are not going to Kings Dominion," her voice was shaky due to her mild panic attack.

Turning off on the next right, he just gave her a villainous laugh and followed the rest of the signs directing them towards the amusement park. Olivia prayed that they were going somewhere else. Even as they pulled through the entrance, she still hoped that maybe this was all just a big mistake and he'd turn the car around and take her somewhere else. No such luck. Fitz parked the car, cut the engine, then got out and went around to open her door.

"I'm not going in there," Olivia grumbled and crossed her arms, having no intentions of getting out of the car.

"Get out of the car, Olivia," Fitz stood and waited for her to get out.

"No."

"Olivia, I didn't just drive an hour and a half for you to sit in the car all day," his tone slight irritation that she didn't really appreciate.

"Well, you should've told me where we were going and you wouldn't have wasted your time." Olivia didn't move an inch and kept her eyes forward.

Fitz took in a deep, calming breath before shutting her door and heading off in the direction of the ticket booth. At first Olivia thought he was joking as he joined the other thrill seekers in line, leaving her by herself in the hot car without the keys. She just knew that he was going to come back, but instead, he kept moving up in line until he was only a few people away from entering the park. Huffing, Olivia got out of the car, making sure to lock the doors, then sped off in his direction.

She was a bit out of breath by the time she reached the line and chose to ignore the dirty looks from the people that perceived her as a skipper as she made her way towards Fitz. She reached him just as he was pulling his wallet out to pay for his ticket and she was surprised and a bit irritated to see that he bought two. Was she that predictable?

"What took you so long?" he teased and handed her her ticket.

"Oh, shut up."

* * *

They went through the checkpoint then were let loose into the park. There were hundreds of people buzzing about with happy expressions on their faces. Piercing screams filled Olivia's ears as she watched people whiz by on a roller coaster. The metal monstrosity towered above them at dizzying heights that looked too high to be structurally sound. She immediately felt a little queasy at the thought of riding one of those things.

"Which one do you want to get on first?" Fitz asked, overly excited at the prospect of climbing one hundred feet in the air just to plummet down at a near ninety degree angle.

"None. How about we go ride the carousal or the tea cups or something," Olivia suggested, hoping that he'd agree.

"Liv, we aren't five. How about that one," he pointed to a coaster with a volcano theme.

She watched as the people were flipped upside down and twirled about on the rollercoaster he was referring too. There was no way in hell she was getting on that.

Seeing the look on her face, Fitz asked, "What's wrong, you've never ridden a rollercoaster before?"

"No," she answered, then said something that he couldn't quite make out.

"What did you say?" he asked, needing her to speak up some.

"I said I'm afraid of heights," she said a little louder, but just barely.

Trying not to laugh, Fitz repeated, "You're afraid of heights?"

"Yes, so can we please go somewhere where my feet will be nice and safe on the ground?" she pleaded.

"It's gonna be fun, I promise," he tried to convince her.

"Fitz…"

"I dare you." He had no idea that he had just said the magic words.

"If I die, I'm coming back to hunt you," she threatened, then walked in the direction of the Volcano.

The line was long and it gave Olivia ample to time to regret her decision. Fitz rubbed her shoulders and told her over and over again that it would be alright. She didn't believe him. Before she knew it, they were up next. They stepped up to the platform and waited. She watched the people step of the ride, wide grins spread across their faces as they high fived each other.

"Next..."the ride operator called. Moment of truth.

She was shaking as she took her seat. This particular ride didn't have the typical cart-like seating. No, this one left her feet free to dangle which scared Olivia even more. She was trembling and cursing her fate as one of the park workers came to snap her over the shoulder security thing in place. She put her hands on the designated metal pieces and held on for dear life. Beside her, Fitz was grinning and gearing up for the ride of his life. Unexpectedly, he put his hand out for her to hold, offering her some sort of solace. Taking it, she heard the ride start up. Closing her eyes, they started to move.

It started off slow, not moving too fast, giving her a false sense of security. Because not ten seconds later, they were thrust into darkness at accelerating speeds and only going faster. They were blasted out the top of the volcano like lava, a big gust of fire heating their skin as they met open air. Olivia screamed as she felt herself go upside down and round and round. Fitz was laughing like a maniac beside her, the hand not being crushed by hers waving wildly in the air.

"Oh. My. God. That was so much fun," Olivia said giddily as they exited the ride. "Can we go again?"

"Of course, but let's get on the other ones first before we circle back," Fitz laughed, her enthusiasm highly contagious.

For the next few hours, they rode every ride, and because she was such a good sport, Fitz even got on the carousal and tea cups with her. Olivia had yet to let go of his hand and dragged him all around the park sampling turkey legs that was nearly as big as her, funnel cakes, and a variety of things that she didn't even know could be fried. He won her stuff toys and she convinced him to get a caricature picture. Before she was ready for it to, the sun began to set. They found themselves in the tower that was standing tall in the middle of the park watching the sun go down with other young couples. Fitz stood behind her, his arms wrapped tightly around her waist and his chin resting comfortably on her shoulder.

"Thank you for today," she whispered as the last of the light disappeared.

"You're welcome. Thanks for coming." Turning her around in his arms, he captured her lips with his.

Time stopped and the universe closed in until it only surrounded the two of them. He kissed her as if they had all the time in the world, as if there weren't people around, as if she was his to kiss. And she kissed him right back. Pulling apart to catch their breaths, they gave each other look and it was settled. She was going home with him tonight.

* * *

The car ride home was done in silence. Sexual tension filled the small space to the brim, making Olivia's pulse race and her head foggy. Every five minutes or so, Fitz would glance over at her to make sure that she was still there and that he wasn't dreaming. They pulled into the underground parking garage to his building and silently went the elevator hand in hand.

As soon as the doors closed, he was on her, pressing her against the wall. Fitz groaned, the feel of her soft curves beneath his fingertips creating a tightening in his pants. He lifted one of her legs and hooked it around his waist, the spark between them igniting and creating a blazing fire. Memories of their one and only night together assailed her. Memories of the way his lips found the spot below her ear, the way his hands gripped her waist tighter with every thrust, of how he'd made her scream his name over and over.

The elevators doors opened, signaling that they arrived to his floor and they stumbled out, still not breaking the seal of their lips. Reluctantly, Fitz broke away to dig his keys from his pockets to unlock the door. Needing to touch him, Olivia played with the curls at the nape of his neck and stood on tiptoe to nip at his ear. It took him a few tries to get the key in the lock with her hands roaming freely over his body, but finally he did and pushed the door open.

Lifting her up, Fitz didn't even bother with lights as he rushed them down the hall to his bedroom. He'd give her a tour later. Once in the bedroom, he turned on the lamp beside the bed then laid her down gently, lowering himself next to her once she moved over. Her arms crisscrossed, going to the bottom of her shirt to tug it off her body. She kicked off her shoes then lifted up some and pulled her shorts off to. She heard Fitz suck in a breath as he eyed her bra and panty clad form. She went to kiss him but instead, he backed away and got off the bed completely.

Temporary confusion was transformed to understanding as he hooked his phone up to his iHome and pressed play. A beat pumped out of the speakers and Fitz started to dance to it. A seductive smile played at his lips as he toyed with his shirt, exposing a bit of his abs then hiding them again. Olivia scooted to the edge of the bed and opened her legs for as an invitation. When he stepped between them, she pushed up his shirt, running her tongue over ever ridge of his abs. Fitz took off the garment the rest of the way while she went to work on his shorts. All the while, the music played in the background.

_Baby, won't you spend the night?  
Darling I don't want to wake up and you are not by my side.  
And if you promise me tonight, yeah, baby that you'll let me in,  
then I'm going to make you feel so special. _

Olivia took great pleasure in pushing his shorts and boxers down his body and even greater pleasure in him climbing over her. Her body trembled and her core flooded with heat as he rubbed his muscular frame against hers. He trailed open mouthed kisses down her neck, nipping at her collarbone, then going lower to her breast. He unhooked the front clasp of her bra with his teeth and then ran the tip over one of her stiff peaks. She arched into him, silently begging him to take it into his mouth. He rewarded her efforts and long, low moan escaped from her lips.

The music faded into the background and all she was able to focus on was the tug of his lips and the hand that was traveling between them to dip into her panties. God, she had never been this wet in her entire life. She lifted her hips to meet his fingers and bit his shoulder to hold in the scream that was forming. She could feel her orgasm building from the tips of her toes, spreading heat further until her entire system was engulfed. She came hard, crying out her ecstasy for him to hear.

Finally he freed her from the confines of her underwear, throwing it the floor with the rest of their clothes. He took her hips in both of his hands, aligning their bodies just right and began to push in. He groaned at the tight feel of her pulsing around him and dropped his head to her neck. She forgot how to breathe as he surged in all the way to the hilt. Her heels dug into the mattress, her toes curling so much that they were pulling up the sheets. He swiveled his hips and her nails clawed at his back.

She sucked in a lungful of air and expelled it as a whimper. She didn't know how much more he could take as he increased his pace right along with her pleasure. He was murmuring something in her ear but she couldn't hear him over her own moans. He went deeper, his hands leaving bruises on her hips as the intense feelings passed between them. She was getting close, her walls contracting around him in the sweetest of ways. With one last thrust, she exploded, her body going still before arching so high that she nearly bucked him off of her. Fitz followed her over the edge, the whole time only one word coming from his lips. _Mine. _

* * *

Jake entered the empty apartment at around four o'clock. He had had a good day on the green with his boss. It went so well in fact that they offered to take him to lunch. He schmoozed them, telling them whatever they needed to hear in order for him to get in their good graces. He couldn't wait to get home and tell Olivia. But as soon as he stepped in, he knew that she wasn't there but he called out for her anyways. Of course he got no reply, but then a piece of paper on the catch all by the door caught his eye. Picking it up, he read the note that was in written in her handwriting.

_Went out for some fresh air, will be in later – O. _

Pursing his lips at the vague description, Jake decided to send her a text to get a real estimate of when she'd be home. Since the day of their wedding, Olivia had been acting weird. He started to suspect that she found out his secret but quickly dismissed that idea. If she had, she would've said something by now or she would have at least hinted at something being wrong. Nevertheless, she was pulling away more and more and this random outing was proof.

As afternoon turned to night, Jake started to worry for Olivia's safety. He called her countless times and she never once answered. She never went more than a few hours away from him without checking in. He called her parents to see if they had heard from her and when they didn't, his worry increased. He called each one of her friends. Sarah and Quinn were useless but Abby seemed like she wanted to say something but held back out of loyalty to her friend. He even called the hospital to see if she was working and the police station to try and find out if she was in an accident or something. When all of the options were exhausted, he sat by the door and waited with baited breath, praying that it would open and she'd come through it in one piece.

* * *

The warm hand on her stomach woke Olivia up. It wasn't the hand per se, it was the lack of a cool metal band around a specific finger that woke her up. _Shit, shit, shit. _She had fallen asleep at Fitz's last night. Springing up, she hesitantly turned to look at the clock on the nightstand, terrified to see what time the numbers would read. 4:45 am. Jake was probably worried out of his mind. She pulled on her clothes as fast as she could, then remembered that her car was still parked at the hospital. She found her phone in her shorts pocket and saw that she had 30 missed calls from Jake, 15 from her parents, and 10 from Abby.

Deciding to deal with that later, she called a cab and quickly left Fitz's apartment. On the ride over to the hospital, Olivia constructed several lies, each of them sounding less believable than the last. She knew that he probably called the hospital, so saying that she got called into work was out. Maybe she'd say she went to a bar and got drunk and decided to crash in a hotel room for the night. No, that'd never work because she rarely drank.

Paying the cabbie, she walked over to her car and climbed in. She hit her head against her steering wheel repeatedly, chastising herself for being so careless. On the drive home, she hoped that she'd get stuck in a ditch or something so that she'd have a plausible excuse for where she was. But of course nothing happened. There was little to no traffic and all of the lights were green. It was like she was being punished as she made the normally twenty minute drive in less than fifteen.

She climbed the five flights of steps rather than take the elevator to buy herself more time but nothing was going to put off the inevitable. She put the key in the lock and opened the door. There was a single light coming in from the living room and like a moth to a flame, Olivia went towards it.

Sitting with his elbows resting on his knees and his head burrowed in his hands was Jake. He looked up at her with angry red eyes as he heard her come in. She guessed that he had been up all night waiting for her and the guilt washed over her in tsunami sized waves.

"Where the hell have you been, Olivia?"

* * *

**AN: So I know that their little date was a bit unusual, but as Fitz explained, he wanted to take her out of her element. It seemed to pay off because he got a little something something at the end of the night, lol. Olivia was a bad girl and slept over, causing her husband to go crazy with worry. But did you catch the part about him having a secret? What do you think it is? Tell me in a review below, the crazier the idea the better. Oh, and do you think that Olivia will be honest or no? Honestly, I still don't even know yet, lol. Till next time. **

**Btw, the name of the song was So Special(hence the title of the chapter) by Lil Wayne ft. John Legend. If you're interested in listening to it, I suggest you use a site other than YouTube because they tend to distort the sound. **


	5. Crossroads

**Disclaimer: I don't own Scandal**

**AN: So I loved reading you guys' guesses as to what Jake's secret was. The best was that he was a flamboyant cross dresser, lol. The majority thought that he was a cheater, but that's way too obvious. A few that he had a love child and I did toy around with that idea but that brings us back to the way too obvious cheating. Anyways, let's see how Olivia deals with Jake's interrogation. **

* * *

"Where the hell have you been, Olivia?" Jake's voice was angry and demanding.

And there she was, standing at the corner of truth and lies having to decide if she was going to take a left or a right. To the right, truth. She could confess everything right now. She could tell him that she slept with someone else the night before their wedding and that she slept with him again last night. She could tell him that that same man crowds her thoughts 24/7 and that he makes her feel something that Jake never could. She could tell the truth.

Or, she could go left. She could lie. She could preserve his feelings, could keep the heart that he gave to her instead of serving it back to him crushed on a silver platter. She could make a real go of her marriage and promise herself that she'd never speak to Fitz again. She could promise herself that she'd block him from her thoughts, would guard her heart against him, would turn down any further advances he made. She could lie.

"Olivia…"Jake warned, needing an answer now.

"Didn't you get my note?" she asked to buy herself some more time.

"You mean that note?" he questioned and nodded towards the wadded up piece of paper that lay by his feet.

"Yes, that note," she said as if the note held more than just a bullshit excuse as to where she was.

"Stop playing games and just tell me where you were," his voice was rising but he remained seated on the sofa.

"I was out with a friend from work. We went to Kings Dominion and we were too tired to drive back so we crashed at a nearby hotel until one of us was awake enough to drive back," she half lied, deciding to go straight instead taking a left or right.

He nodded, but not in a way that made her think that he believed her story. "Kings Dominion is only an hour and a half away. You expect me to believe that you were too tired to drive an hour and a half? And you couldn't call me to let me know?"

Pulling the ticket stub out of her pocket, she handed it to him and he examined it like it was a fake twenty dollar bill. "We went to a local club afterwards and time got away from us. I left my phone in the car for the majority of the day and didn't see that you called until after I woke up," the story wasn't all false, she did leave her phone in the car while they were in the park.

"And this friend from work, have I met them before?" he asked, still suspicious of what she was telling him.

"No. They're new to the hospital." That was a whole truth.

"I see. And is this person a male or a female?" Damn, that was the one question that she couldn't tell a half lie on.

She was running out of excuses and was boxed into a corner. She raked her brain for options. She could say girl, but then he'd ask her name. She could say male and lie and say that Fitz was gay, but then he'd want to meet him just to be sure. So she did the only thing she could do to defend herself.

"Are you accusing me of cheating on you?" She avoided the question and tried to turn the blame on him.

"Well you have been acting distant lately and then this? It's not like you Olivia. What's going on?" His voice went from angry to concerned and it made Olivia feel even worse.

Taking a seat beside him on the couch, she grabbed his hands and looked in his eyes. She took a deep breath, ready to just tell him everything and lay it all on the line. "Jake I…"

His phone ringing interrupted them. He looked down at it, then gave her the one second sign, and answered it. "Yeah…yeah...okay, I'll be there as soon as possible." He spoke in clipped tones and Olivia was thoroughly confused as to what was going on.

Getting up, Jake looked down at Olivia and told her, "When I get back, we will finish this conversation," then started heading towards the door.

"And exactly where are you going?" The irony of the question was not lost on either one of them.

"To get some fresh air," he replied and left her sitting alone on the couch wondering where the hell he was going. Not unlike how he was just an hour ago.

* * *

Olivia thanked her lucky stars that she was called into work later that afternoon. Jake had yet to come home which was fine with her. She needed some time to figure out how she was going to tell him about Fitz and what she was going to do afterwards. All she knew was that she couldn't keep going on like this. But in the meantime, all contact with Fitz needed to stop. If she was going to leave Jake, she was going to have to do it with a clear head and a somewhat clear conscience.

Walking into the ER, she groaned when she saw him. She just couldn't catch a break today. He spotted her and was on his way towards her when Mellie blocked his path. She didn't exactly like the thought of Mellie talking to Fitz, but right now, she'd take what she could get. With one last glance towards him, she turned and went to check in then review some charts.

The ER stayed mostly busy which kept her mind of off the whole thing with Jake. She took her time going over each one of her patients, asking tedious questions just to prolong the exam so she wouldn't have to face Fitz. She'd feel guilty about using patients like that if they weren't also getting helped. It was nearing five and Olivia was due for a break. Closing the curtain behind her, she left the patient with a prescription and headed towards Abby who was standing by the nurses' station.

"Hey, you wanna go get something to eat?" Olivia asked, her stomach rumbling.

"Uh, sure. We have some stuff that we need to talk about anyways," Abby told her as they headed towards the cafeteria.

They remained silent the whole walk there but she just knew that Abby was biding her time until she could rip into her. They went down the line, a slice of pizza and chips for Olivia and a half a sandwich and a cup of soup for Abby. After paying, they took a seat at a table in the corner and were half way through their meal before Abby seemed to explode with questions.

"Where were you? Who were you with? Scratch that, I already know. What were you thinking staying out all night? And why didn't you call me? Is the sex that good?" Abby paused and Olivia gave her a look, "Never mind, don't answer that. Do you have any idea how much we were worried about you? And what about Jake?" Olivia didn't know which to answer first.

"Fitz took me to Kings Dominion for the day. After that we went back to his place and I didn't call you because we were...um…busy," she blushed. "And yes, the sex is that good."

"What the hell am I going to do with you," Abby laughed sadly, shaking her head.

"I didn't mean to worry anyone. Time just got away. And as for Jake, I have to tell him that I think we made a mistake getting married. I just don't know how. I need a little more time," Olivia told her, the latter more to herself than to Abby.

"And what are you going to do about Fitz?" Abby asked the next logical question.

"I don't know. Maybe once I'm divorced we can take a real shot at what we have. But for right now, I have to stop. I can't let him be the reason I'm ending my marriage. I'm ending it because I'm not happy and haven't been for a while."

"Well, you know that I have your back with whatever you decide, right?" Abby said sincerely and gave her friend a smile.

"Thanks, because I'm going to need it."

* * *

"Do you have it?" the voice in the other car asked.

"Not yet, but I'm getting close," Jake responded.

They were in an abandoned parking lot, their cars pulled up beside each other's with the windows rolled down so they could speak. The other person wore dark shades and a hat so that their identity would be hidden. Jake dressed similarly, taking every precaution not to be discovered by anyone.

"Time is running out," the voice said, the tone fed up and angry.

"I know that. Look, I'll have it to you soon," he promised, knowing that if he didn't, his life would be in danger.

"And your wife?" the voice asked.

"Doesn't suspect a thing," Jake said confidently.

"Good. Keep it that way. Remember, time is ticking." The window rolled up and the car pulled off before disappearing completely.

Jake didn't know how he got in so deep, but he had. Now there was no turning back. He made his bed a long time ago, but he'd be dammed if he'd lie in it. He was getting close, that wasn't a lie. All he needed was a little more time and he'd have everything he ever wanted. Rolling his window up, he pulled off, headed back to the apartment with every intent on finishing his earlier conversation with his wife.

"Olivia?" he called out as he shut the door behind, and like déjà vu, he got no answer. Once again there was a note.

_Got called into work, not sure when I'll be back. Dinner is in the fridge, just heat it up. -O_

_P.S Call if you don't believe me._

He crumpled the note up and threw it towards the other one. There was something seriously wrong with her and he was bound to figure it out. He was positive that she was about to confess to something earlier, but that phone call had been important. He didn't think that meeting would take that long, but duty called. Throwing his keys in the designated dish, he pulled out his phone and called the hospital.

* * *

"Dr. Pope, you have a phone call. It's your husband," one of the nurses told her as she and Abby got back from the cafeteria.

"Ok," Olivia replied, going towards the nurses' station to take her phone call. She didn't think he'd actually check up on her.

"I'm at work Jake, I can't really talk," Olivia huffed impatiently.

"I just wanted to make sure you were where you said you'd be. Oh, and we will continue that talk once you get home," he told her then hung up before she got a chance to reply.

Slamming the phone back into its cradle, Olivia headed to the on-call room to take a breather. She was happy that it was empty, needing a few minutes alone. She sat down on the cot and put her head in her hands and sighed. Her life was a mess right now and she had no one to blame but herself. She got herself into this mess and now it was time for her to get herself out. She heard the door open and didn't even have to look up to know who it was.

"What happened this morning? I woke up and you were gone. Why'd you leave?" Fitz asked her, shutting and locking the door behind him.

"Is that a serious question?" Olivia wanted to know. The reason she left was more than obvious. "I'm married."

"So you keep telling me," Fitz chuckled humorlessly.

"Because it's true. Look, we have to stop this," she told him again and got up and walked towards the door.

She pushed past him and had reached to door, her hand on the handle, when his palm shot out effectively stopping her exit. He grasped her forearm and turned her so that she was facing him then letting her go, boxed her in with a hand on either side of her head. Her breathing turned to pants and her nipples hardened against her bra at just his nearness. He smelled so damn good. He crowded her, his head dipping to kiss her. At the last second, she turned her face.

His lips went to her neck instead, sucking at the skin there almost to the point of creating a mark. Before her skin could bruise, he moved to the other side, licking a blazing path across her throat and making Olivia squeeze her thighs together to try and quell the throbbing.

"W-we can't do this," Olivia told him unconvincingly.

His erection brushed against her belly, stiff and hot and ready for her. Her hips tilted up towards his, involuntarily seeking the heat he was emitting. One of his hands traveled up under her shirt and up her torso. It stopped just below her aching breasts, waiting for her to make the next move. She arched her back, curving her spin in attempts to meet his palm. He let his finger circle one tip, drawing it tight against the cup and driving her insane.

"Tell me you don't want me," Fitz challenged, "tell me you want me to stop."

He slipped his hand under her bra and tugged on her nipple causing pleasure to shoot from the aching nub straight down to her core. She tried to stifle the moan, but it proved impossible with Fitz pressing his hips in the juncture of hers. She was so wet and he had barely even touched. His other hand found its way into her scrub bottoms and into her panties. He used his middle finger to circle her clit, drawing a ragged moan from her parted lips.

"I-I want…"Olivia couldn't finish her sentence as one impossibly long finger entered her slick channel.

"What do you want, Livi, tell me," Fitz whispered in her in, twirling his tongue around the inside then sucking the lobe into his mouth.

He moved his finger in and out, slowly stroking her until she was moaning his name. He added another one, her muscles greedily clamping around the digits. He found her spot, pumping against it until she was ready to come. Fitz stopped before she could, pulling out of her to draw her shirt up and off. She unsnapped her bra, quickly taking it off. He groaned when her breasts bounced free then dropped his head to lick her nipple. Her pussy contracted and quivered, needing him to stop teasing and take her. Her fingers found their way into his hair, holding him to her breast.

"Tell me," he said, releasing the tip with a pop and looking into her eyes.

"I want you," she admitted on a groan.

He took her mouth then, thrusting his tongue in the warm cavern and swirling it around hers. She moaned and kissed him back harder, pressing herself to him as close as possible. She felt him pull down her pants and underwear and she shook with anticipation as she stepped out of them. His came down too and he lifted her up. Her legs went around his waist and he groaned into her mouth as her hot entrance kissed the tip of his cock. One hand went to her ass, holding her steady against him, and the other went to his shaft so that he could guide himself into her dripping channel. He circled her clit with the tip before pushing in. Her head fell back against the door.

"Oh, god," she whimpered as he steadily pushed into her clasping walls.

"You feel so damn good," he groaned against her neck, pulling out only to surge back in.

He took her hard and when the door began to rattle, he moved them to the adjacent wall. With the extra support at her back, he slammed into her over and over again while she begged for more. He was hitting her spot and whispering the dirtiest things in her ear. She nipped and tugged at his bottom lip then slipped her tongue into his mouth. Their moans were muffled as they would not break the kiss. She moved her legs higher about his waist and he slid in deeper. His fingers moved back to her clit, stroking it in hard circles that made her muscles tighten around his cock.

"Please…"she begged for the climax that was so close but yet still out of reach.

He moved faster, pushed deeper, stroked harder. She bit his shoulder against the scream that threatened to bubble forth. He was killing her as he swiveled his hips and ground down against her. She needed him more than her next breath and he knew it. She met him thrust for thrust, inching closer and closer to the pinnacle of their coupling. Then he sucked her nipple into his mouth and she exploded, coming so hard that spots appeared in her vision. She could feel him jerk then go still inside of her, his orgasm coming only milliseconds after hers.

When they had calmed, he lowered her legs and slipped out of her. The loss of his heat affected her more than she cared to admit. He found some paper towels and cleaned them both up while the silence hung heavy in the air. She knew what he wanted her to say. He wanted her to say that she was going to leave her husband. That she was going to stop, albeit unsuccessfully, pushing him away and give into their feelings. But she couldn't. At least not yet.

"I'm not going to deny that we have something between us," Olivia began once all of their clothing was back in place.

"Good," Fitz said that waited for her to continue.

"But we can't be together. Not right now. I need to get some things together first, to tell my husband what I've done. I need to make things right before we can move forward," she told him and a smile started to hint at his lips.

"So we are going to be together?" He asked, cupping her face in his hands.

"I can't promise you anything right now. All I can do is say that I want you, but I need some time," she repeated.

"I'll give you all the time in the world," he vowed then kissed her once more.

* * *

The next night, Fitz walked off of the stage with ones his hands and even more tucked into his waistband. He had just finished his last set and had to admit that he had done pretty well for himself. He counted the wrinkled bills on the way to his locker, mentally calculating how much he had made for the entire week. He then added it to the amount he made earlier that night in a locked box. He went to the showers in the back, quickly cleaning up then getting dressed.

He was meeting someone later on at a nearby club and was cutting it close on time. As he tied his shoes, he let his mind drift to Olivia. He told her that he'd wait for her but hoped that she wouldn't make him wait for long. She was something special, he knew that from the first second he saw her. He could see himself building a life with her complete with kids and a dog. He laughed out loud. He never considered himself the domestic type, but for her, he would be.

Not for the first time Fitz wondered what kind of man her husband was. He had to be one lucky bastard to get Olivia to marry him. He'd never been a jealous man but he was kept up at night thinking about if he was touching her, kissing her, just being with her in general. The only solace that he had was that she promised that she was going to get out and that she only needed time.

Heading out of the club, Fitz hopped in his car and headed toward the bar that he was meeting his friend at. He drove the three blocks and spent ten minutes trying to find a parking space. Finally finding one, he parked, got out, and headed inside. He looked around the bar, trying to find his friend when he heard his old nickname from across the room.

"Mac, over here." Pinpointing his location, he walked towards him with a wide smile on his voice.

"Hey, Jake, long time no see," Fitz greeted, giving the other man a bro hug then taking his seat.

* * *

Olivia had successfully dodged Jake for the last day and a half. He had told her that he was meeting an old friend for drinks which meant she had the rest of the evening to herself. During her lunch break, she called a divorce lawyer and got some information on how to start the proceedings. It was going to be a long process, but it would be worth it.

She poured herself a hot bath and a glass of wine and let herself soak. She thought of what she was going to tell Jake and what her life was going to be like without him. The thought made her sad but not as sad as dragging out the marriage. Then she thought about Fitz and how he made her feel. She was falling in love with him and could just now admit it to herself. It was scary and fast and it took her over when she least expected it. Getting out of the tub, she drained the water then went and got dressed.

She was settled in bed with a good book when the phone rang. It was nearing eleven and she wasn't sure who would be calling at this time of night. Looking at the caller id, she saw that it was her mother.

"Mom, is everything ok?" she asked then listened to her answer, "Calm down. What floor are you on and what room are you in? Let me get a pen to write that down," she told her then rummaged around on her nightstand for one.

Not being able to locate one, she went to Jake's side. Pulling open the draw, she saw that there was one tucked away in his crossword puzzle book. Pulling it open, she gasped at what she saw. She stared at the book, trying to figure out what she was seeing, but then her mother's frantic voice in her ear pulled her attention away. Olivia wrote down the address then put the pen back in the book then put it back where she found it. She'd have to deal with that later, right now, she had to head to the hospital to console her mother.

* * *

**AN: So Olivia dodged the bullet with her half lies and a phone call. But I think it's more of a heat seeking missile rather than a bullet and will come back to find her. But she is planning her escape. We got more clues as to what Jake's secret is and it has to do with his crossword puzzles. Any guesses, let me know, again the crazier the better. Olivia just can't stay away from Fitz, can you blame her? And Fitz and Jake know each other. Before you saying anything, Fitz only knew Olivia's husband's last name, not first. Wonder if Fitz has something to do with his secret? Let me know what you think in a review below, they make me smile :)**


	6. Changes

**Disclaimer: I don't own Scandal.**

**AN: So I know it's been a little bit since I've updated but life has gotten in the way. Contrary to popular belief, I don't sit at my computer and write all day, I have other things to do, lol. Anyways, have no fear, especially you Mary B, I shall hopefully be updating a little more regularly. But as it is summer and there is no school in the way and I'm free to do relatively whatever I please, I cannot make any promises. As a quick reminder, we left off with Liv about to go see her mother and Fitz meeting up with Jake. We pick up where we left off so let's get into it :). **

* * *

Olivia walked speedily down the hall, dodging patients, wheelchairs, and crash carts. Even though she worked at this hospital, her brain was so scrambled that she had to read the signs to find the cardiology wing. She took two elevators, a flight of stairs, and went down countless hallways until she finally reached the room her mother said that her father was in. She stopped just short of the door, hands on her knees to catch her breath and to calm down. She could feel the tears wetting her cheeks, knowing that this time was worse than the first. Somehow instinctively knowing that this was it. She tentatively knocked on the door and cracked it open, peeking her head through before going all the way in.

Her father was hooked up to countless monitors, being a doctor, she automatically looked to the EKG and the stats there weren't promising. Her father was sedated for now, peacefully sleeping in the bed, oblivious to what was going on. The steady rise and fall of his chest was the only thing assuring her that he was still alive. Her mother was curled up in the chair next to his bed, her hand firmly curved around his. She stared at him, willing him to get better and whispering something that sounded like 'I love you' over and over.

"Mommy," Olivia squeaked, getting the older woman's attention.

"Sweet pea," her mother wept and she looked like she wanted to get up and hug her daughter but couldn't let go of her father's hand.

Walking towards her, Patricia patted her lap, signaling for Olivia to cuddle in close. She sat and burrowed her face in her mother's neck like she did when she was a little girl, the sobs threatening to break loose. She had to be strong though and keep them in because of the three people in the room, she was the only one that was capable of holding it together.

"What happened?" Olivia asked when the tightness in her throat ebbed. Though she already had a pretty good idea as to what landed him in the hospital.

"We were…"Patricia paused, the tears muddling anything she could've hoped to say, "we were coming in from dinner and he just…he just collapsed."

"What are the doctors saying?" She could take a guess, but needed to hear what was actually going on.

"That he's not going to survive through the night," her mother cried, "that his heart just can't take it anymore." Olivia hugged her mother tighter, running a hand through her hair in a comforting fashion.

Her father had had a heart attack earlier in the year and the doctors had been skeptical even then about him making it. They did a triple bypass and that still didn't solve the problem. But somehow he pulled through and things were starting to look up. But then this happened.

"It's going to be ok, Mommy," Olivia tried to soothe, "Daddy knows we're here, he can feel our love," Olivia told her then placed her hand on top of her parent's entwined ones.

They sat like that for what seemed like hours, Olivia eventually getting up and sitting in the chair on the other side of the bed and holding his other hand. She stared the machines down, daring them to change and promising to smash them into bits if they did. Seeming to taunt her, the oxygen levels started to fall and his heart rate dropped drastically. Doctors rushed in attempts to revive her father. And as she watched them, Olivia thought about the first time he taught her to ride a bike, the father daughter dance in the sixth grade, how he grilled her date when he showed up to take her to prom, how he told her she was the most beautiful girl in the world during her first breakup, about how he told he was so proud of her when she finally became a doctor, and how tears pooled in his eyes as they spun around on the dance floor during her wedding reception. Then she thought about all the things he would miss out on and looking towards her mother, she knew that she was doing the same.

Then the monitors released a steady beeping sound, signaling that he flat lined. Then it was eerily quiet, the doctors' whispers of sorry that they couldn't save him and her mother's wails not registering. She stared down at her father, his body still and peaceful and when the last doctor shuffled out of the room, she sat down and held his hand.

* * *

The waitress came over, asking Fitz his drink order and after giving it to her, she turned and left them alone, but not before slipping Fitz her number. He had to laugh at how bold she was as he crumbled the paper up and set it on the table.

"The Mac Daddy strikes again," Jake chuckled.

Fitz and Jake had attended the same boarding school growing up. Because this boarding school went from middle to high school, they grew close over the years, even bunking with each other one year. Fitz had built up a reputation throughout the school for being somewhat of a player, always being the first to suggest a trip to the girls wing in the middle of the night. His friends started calling him Mac Daddy then Mac for short until that's what everyone, including the teachers and staff, called him.

"So what's been going on with you since high school graduation?" Fitz asked his old friend.

Because they went to separate colleges, Fitz and Jake lost touch over the years. Life and time got in the way and before they knew it, nearly eight passed without contact. The other day when he was clearing out some shelves, Fitz found his old address book and skimming through it, he saw Jake's name. He gave him a call and was slightly surprised to find that he had the same number. They chatted, discovering that they both lived in the area, then decided to meet up for drinks the following day. He was eager to catch up, to see if his friend was in as good of a place as he was in his life.

"Nothing much. I became a lawyer," he paused at Fitz's congratulations, "and I got married about a month ago to my college sweetheart," Jake bragged. "What about you?"

"Well I'm a doctor," Fitz did some bragging of his own.

"An OBGYN?" Jake joked, thinking he was clever for connecting Fitz's love of the opposite sex with his love for medicine.

"Ha ha. No, actually, I work in the ER at Mercy," Fitz told him just as the waitress came back with the drinks. She took a look at the balled up piece of paper, scoffed, and walked away.

"Oh, no way, my wife is an ER doctor down at Mercy as well. Maybe you know her, her name is Olivia," Jake said then pulled out his phone to show Fitz a picture.

His heart sank as he saw a picture of his Livi wearing a white bikini, Jake's arms wrapped around her with the beach as their background. He assumed that they were on their honeymoon when the picture was taken and the knowledge that this was the guy that she was married to ate him up. She did say her last name was Ballard, didn't she? But he hadn't really connected the dots and he had to admit that because her new last name wasn't Grant, he hadn't exactly put that much thought into it.

"Uh, yeah, I know Olivia," Fitz stuttered out when Jake took his phone away.

"She's beautiful isn't she," Jake said, more of a statement than a question, looking at the image himself before putting the phone back into his pocket.

"Absolutely breathtaking," Fitz mumbled under his breath so low that Jake couldn't hear him.

"Have you settled down yet or are there still too many women to choose from?" Jake laughed, having no idea that Fitz had indeed found a woman.

"Actually, I have found someone and I'm thinking of telling her how I feel sometime soon," Fitz said, trying not to get jealous of the fact that the man sitting across from him was the one that placed a ring on Olivia's finger.

"Oh really? The Mac Daddy himself is settling down. Never thought I'd see the day. Looks like I'm going to have to start calling you by your real name, what is it again?" Jake asked, feigning memory loss. "Well do share, she must be something to get you to settle down. Got any pictures?"

Fitz thoroughly considered showing him the picture that he took of Olivia the night she slept over. She was lying on her stomach in his bed, naked and asleep, his white sheets wrapped around her waist and her back exposed. She looked so peaceful, a small smile playing at her lips like she was dreaming of him. He couldn't help but to take a picture.

"No, no pictures. She's a little camera shy," Fitz lied. Olivia wasn't camera shy. He had lots of pictures of her and some of them together from their day at Kings Dominion. But he doubted that Jake would appreciate seeing any of those.

"So do you like being married?" Fitz asked, changing the subject from his love life and also curious about the dynamics of their marriage.

"It's, um, different," Jake responded, leaning back in his seat and taking a swig of his beer. "She's been acting weird ever since the wedding, withdrawn and doing things that she normally doesn't do," Jake said, a thoughtful expression coming across his face.

"Oh yeah? Like what," Fitz pried.

"Like going to some amusement park with a friend and not coming home till five o'clock the next morning. In fact, she said it was with a friend from work. You work with her, have you noticed a guy hanging around her or did she maybe mention her plans around you?" Jake was hopeful that maybe Fitz could fill in the missing pieces and boy could he.

"Um, I really haven't noticed to be honest. I just see her talking to Abby a lot. I don't really know Olivia, I just started in the ER so we don't exactly talk to each other unless it's about a patient," Fitz fibbed, putting some truth into what was mainly a lie.

"Damn. Well I guess I'm just going to have to wait for her to say something," Jake huffed. "So are you gonna call that waitress," Jake asked, tipping his beer towards the woman he was referring to.

Fitz didn't even spare her a glance. "No. I'm a one woman man now." He hadn't even thought of another woman since Olivia came into his life.

"This new you is mind boggling," Jake snickered, "but let me tell you, married life isn't all that it's cracked up to be. The rumor about the sex changing from all the time to none at all is true," Jake told him as if he was sharing a trade secret.

Fitz gritted his teeth, not really wanting to hear about their sex life or lack thereof, "Is that so?"

"I mean, we didn't start having sex until two years ago, and let me tell you, that was a long five years before that, and when we did, it was pretty regular, but now, it's never," Jake complained.

"I really don't think that I should be hearing this," Fitz tried to laugh off how uncomfortable he was feeling.

"You're right man. It's just that she used to do this thing where she would…"

"Umm, you know what, I have to go to the bathroom," Fitz interrupted, standing up abruptly and stalking off, leaving his phone on the table.

He needed to get out of there before he punched Jake in the face. He didn't like him talking about Olivia like that. Although he had to admit that part of him was happy that she wasn't letting her husband touch her. He paced the bathroom, taking calming breaths and tried to banish the thoughts of slamming Jake's head into the tiled wall. He had to decide what he was going to do. Should he tell Olivia that he knew Jake, should he tell Jake that he's been seeing his wife, or should he just walk away now before his heart was invested? Who was he kidding, his heart was already hers. Feeling a little calmer now, he walked out of the bathroom and back towards their table.

* * *

Jake wondered what got Fitz so bent out of shape but that thought was fleeting as he saw his phone illuminate with a new text message. He wasn't going to look but then he saw Olivia's name. Tapping the screen to keep it lit up, he read the message: **I need to see you tonight, are you home? **

Why would she need to see him tonight? They were coworkers so maybe it was work related. But how did she know where he lived? He didn't know where any of his coworkers, especially those of the opposite sex, lived. And why would she need to see him this late at night?

He never pegged Olivia as a cheater and he really hoped that she was screwing around on him with Grant. Before he could investigate any further, Fitz came back to the table. He picked up his phone, read the message and tapped his phone a few times letting Jake know that he was probably replying.

"I gotta go Jake, something came up," Fitz said apologetically as his phone vibrated again.

"No problem, we're going to have to do this again sometime," Jake stuck out his hand to shake Fitz's and he wondered if that same hand that was now firmly grasped in his had touched his wife intimately.

He watched the other man leave, knowing that he was headed to meet Olivia at his house and he couldn't help but wonder what they were going to do when they got there. Maybe he should surprise them by showing. Deciding that was the best plan, he left the bar so that he could follow Fitz home, but didn't see him anywhere. Before he could think on how to figure out where he lived, his phone vibrated in his pocket signaling he had an incoming call. Pulling it out, he had to chuckle at who was on the other end.

"Hey, Liv, what's up?" He asked his wife as if he didn't already know.

"Daddy died," she cried and Jake was totally taken aback.

"He what…? Baby I'm so sorry. Where are you, I'll be right there," he said, already heading to his car and forgetting about what he found out five minutes ago.

"I'm gonna stay with Mom for tonight. You go ahead and go home. I think it should just be the two of us tonight," she said and he could hear her trying to stop the tears.

"What happened, Liv?" he asked, now sitting in the driver's seat of his car.

"He had another heart attack and then he just…went," she hiccupped.

"Are you sure you don't want me to stop by?" He questioned, feeling like he should be there to comfort his wife.

"No. We'll be fine. I'll see you in the morning," she said preparing to hang up.

"I love you," he told her right before the line went dead.

He felt tears run down his cheeks for the man that he looked up to for so long. Rowan Pope was a good man and he'd be missed. But then he remembered that text that she sent Fitz not even ten minutes ago and he realized that she wanted comfort from him. In her darkest hour she turned to another man and that hurt just as much as losing his father in law.

* * *

Olivia knocked on Fitz's door and waited impatiently for him to answer. When he did, she broke down, flinging herself in his arms and weeping loudly. He wrapped her in a tight embrace and pulled her into the apartment. He sat them down on his leather sofa, Olivia curled up on his lap and face in his neck. He rubbed her back and kissed her temple as she let go and mourned the loss of her father.

"Livi, baby, what happened?" She had only told him that she needed to see him, not giving a reason as to why.

"My dad died tonight," she choked out.

He didn't ask any more questions after that, knowing that it would be too hard for her to speak and she appreciated just being able to cry. The whole way over to his place all she could think about was him and how much she needed him to take the pain away. She felt bad for leaving her mother, but she said that she needed to be alone anyways. As for Jake, she figured that considering the circumstances, she deserved to be a bit selfish. So that's what she did, she decided to think of her needs first and she cuddled closer to Fitz and let him comfort her.

An hour later, Olivia sat up on Fitz's couch after hearing a loud bang, not realizing that she had fallen asleep. She stretched and yawned, the events of the day returning along with the feelings of grief. She wiped a stray tear and shook her head to try and clear the bad feelings. She turned her head in the direction of the banging noise, trying to pinpoint its source. Turning her head to the left, she saw him, the open floor allowing her to see into his kitchen from the couch and she got up to go and join him. His back was turned to her and he was stooped over, most likely rummaging through his cupboards to find a pot or pan and making a lot of noise as he did so. When he straightened up, his back still towards her, she wrapped her arms around his waist. He jumped a little, not realizing she was behind him, but soon relaxed into her embrace.

"How are you feeling, Livi?" He asked, turning in her arms and kissing her softly.

"Eh, as good as possible considering. I just can't believe he's gone," she said quietly and hugged him tighter.

"I don't know how this feels, but I do know that I'll be here for you whenever you need me," he told her, deciding not to say the cliché 'he's in a better place' and 'it'll be okay with time'.

"Thank you," she replied then stood on her tiptoes to kiss him.

"Why don't you take a seat at the island and let me cook us up some dinner?" he suggested and she nodded that she would.

Silence filled the area, her lost in thought and him focused on making a meal for them. He seemed to sense that she just needed peace and quiet right now and she was happy that he didn't try to make small talk to fill the void. The space was soon filled with delicious smells as he sautéed vegetables and broiled chicken. He got out some wine from his cabinet and poured her a generous glass before setting a plate in front of her.

"I'm going to ask my husband for a divorce tomorrow," she announced half way into the meal, setting her fork down on her near empty plate.

Fitz nearly choked on his piece of chicken, a coughing fit ensuing as he tried to register her words. "Oh yeah?" he said nonchalantly, not wanting to seem too eager.

"Yeah. Daddy dying taught me that I can't live life afraid of hurting other people's feelings or putting other people's happiness before my own. I settled for Jake when I should of just waited for you," she told him, opening up and letting him know what she's been feeling all along.

"I have to tell you something," he took a deep breath in, "I know Jake. In fact, I was with him when you texted me." He expected her confusion but wasn't prepared for the hurt look to come across her face.

"You what? Have you known this entire time that I was his wife?" she asked angrily, feeling as though she was some pawn in his sick twisted game.

"No. I just found out tonight. I knew Jake from when we were kids. I found his number and decided to give him a call. Imagine my surprise when he pulls out a picture of him and his wife on their honeymoon and it's you."

"From when you were kids? He never mentioned you," she said, mentally running through the list of friend's that Jake had mentioned at one point or another.

"He probably called me Mac," Fitz explained, knowing that his relation to Jake could have come out long ago if either one had used a first name.

"Well does he know that we…that we're…that we've been?" she stumbled, unable to find the right words to define their relationship.

"That we've been seeing each other?" he filled in.

"Yes, does he know?" she was in a slight panic.

"Not that I could tell. Why does it matter? I thought you were going to divorce him," he was starting to get the impression that she was going to change her mind.

"It matters because I would rather he hear it from me that I've been screwing around. I'm not backing out," she allayed his fears and covered his hand on the table with hers. "But I also don't think that we should jump into a committed relationship right away," she added quickly.

"What do you mean," he questioned and took his hand from hers, crossing his arms across his chest.

"I mean that I've been in a relationship for seven years and need some time to myself after I get divorced. I don't know Olivia away from Jake or my parents. With Daddy gone, Mom's going to want to live a little, explore the world, and well with Jake out of the picture, it's going to be just me and I'm a little scared," she tried to explain all the thoughts running through her mind.

"But it's not going to be just you. You've got me. What about us?" he wondered, not really caring how selfish he sounded.

"I want you," she confessed, "I want you literally all the time and all my feelings are getting invested in you and I just want to be able to have a firm understanding of me before I give myself completely to you," she said all in breath.

"Hey," he said, getting her attention and making eye contact, "you're not alone in your feelings. And if time is what you need, then okay. You're worth it," he smiled, hoping to take away the sad look in her eyes.

She was about to respond when the doorbell rang. Fitz looked like he was going to ignore it when the ringing increased and it was followed by pounding against the wood.

"Olivia, I know you're in there. Open the door before I kick it down," the voice bellowed.

"Jake…" they said in unison.

* * *

**AN: So Jake has learned of the affair between Fitz and Olivia. How do you think that the showdown will go? Do you think he will let go easily? Do you think, or maybe hope, that he and Fitz will get into a little scuffle over Olivia? Or maybe his secret will come up. Who knows? I haven't written it yet. So that was sad about Olivia's dad but it finally gave her the push she needed to live her life. Speaking of dad's, if you happen to be reading my other story Until You, I should be updating within the next few days, again Mary B, have no fears, lol. **


	7. Finally Free Wellalmost

**Disclaimer: I don't own Scandal**

**An: Hello everyone! So last chapter Jake was about to come busting through the door and some hoped that Fitz would rough him up a little. Other's thought that due to the fact Olivia's father died, he would be understanding and gentle in his approach. Let's see how it all went down.**

* * *

The pounding continued and Fitz and Olivia looked at each other, each with wide eyes and mouths formed in an _o. _Neither expected Jake to show up tonight and had no idea how he could've possibly even found out about them. They sat rooted on the barstools of Fitz's island, mirrored images, before finally Fitz spoke.

"Do you want me to get rid of him?" he asked, thinking that after the day that she had, Olivia wasn't really up to dealing with her scorned husband.

"I don't know. Maybe we should get it over with now?" she said quietly, her gaze suddenly not meeting his.

"Are you sure?" He needed her to be one thousand percent positive before he let that man into his home.

"I think I owe it to him. I've been unhappy for a while now, but I continued to string him along. Hell, I married him because I was too afraid of hurting his feelings. I think the least I could do is talk to him," she told him, the guilt over the entire situation finally getting the best of her. She just wanted to be free.

"Hey," he said, getting her attention and touching her arm softly, "you shouldn't feel guilty for falling in love with me," he tried to reassure her then realized his words.

They hadn't discussed the feelings they had between them, but both knew what they were. They just hadn't been brave enough to say it yet. Although now wasn't exactly the ideal time, he thought that if she knew how much he truly loved her, it might give her the strength to deal with Jake. Or at least a false sense of bravado knowing that no matter how bad the conversation got, that he was right there with her.

"I love you," he said with a slight smile.

"I…"

"You have three seconds to open the door!" Jake yelled from the other side, cutting off any response Olivia could've had.

Fitz waited nonetheless for the words to come out of her mouth, but they never did. What was most likely thirty seconds felt like years of him waiting for her to say those three words back. All she did was motion towards the door and subsequently Jake. Getting up, Fitz went to go and open it.

On the other side was a seething Jake. His face was red with anger and his fists were balled up by his sides. Fitz took in the demeanor of the other man and it was clear that he had been drinking. This was not the right way to have this type of conversation and he knew that Jake would say some things that would really hurt Olivia. He couldn't let that happen.

"Jake, you're drunk. You need to leave," Fitz told him firmly, getting ready to shut the door.

Jake's palm shot out to hold the door open and he barreled past Fitz and into the apartment. "I'm not leaving until I talk to my _whore_ of a wife," he spat. Although his words were slurred, the venom that was accompanied with them was not lost.

"Not like this. I'll take you home so you can sleep it off and she'll talk to you tomorrow," Fitz said, grabbing Jake's arm and leading him back to the door.

Jake stumbled a bit, his footing unsure due to the amount of alcohol he drank. "NO! Where is she? I know she's here. Is she in your bed with her legs spread like the slut that she is?"

Fitz had to take deep breaths and remind himself that Jake was drunk and was upset at the fact that he lost his father in law and wife all in the same day. He clenched and unclenched his free fist as he continued towards the door. Then Olivia appeared and before Fitz could get him out, Jake saw her.

"Hey Mac, hey Mac," Jake slurred, "does she suck your dick because I tried like hell to get her to suck mine and she wouldn't," he laughed cynically.

"Jake!" Olivia screeched, extraordinarily embarrassed and ashamed of his behavior.

"Enough with the prude act, Liv. You're so full of shit. You make me wait five fucking years to even touch you and you let him fuck you within how many days of knowing him? You're disgusting. Your dad probably died of shame because he found out how much of a whore his daughter was!" he yelled crudely.

That was the last straw for Fitz and before Jake could even blink, Fitz had him up against the wall with his forearm crushing his windpipe. Jake was gasping for breath, his feet dangling and arms flaying as he tried to get air into his deflating lungs. Fitz pushed harder, not thinking or realizing that Jake was turning blue from the lack of oxygen.

"Fitz," Olivia spoke calmly, walking up to him and laying a hand on his shoulder, "you have to stop or else you'll kill him."

That seemed to get through to him and he released his hold on Jake. He slithered to floor like the pathetic snake that he was and coughed as air filled his body. He was clutching his bruised throat, on his hands and knees, when Fitz crouched down to his level.

"Drunk or not, if you ever talk to her like that again, I'll kill you." His tone relayed how serious he was and Jake just weakly nodded, still trying to regain equilibrium. Unable to stop himself, Fitz delivered a sharp kick to his ribcage and smiled a little when Jake yelped out in pain.

"Are you ok? He asked Olivia when he turned to her, seeing the tears streaking down her face.

"Yeah," she lied and wiped her face. She could tell that Fitz didn't believe her, but she was thankful that he didn't push.

Pulling her into his arms, he wrapped her tight in his embrace before speaking against her temple, "I'm going to call him a cab because there is no way I can be in a car with him. What's your address?"

She told him where they lived then watched as he hauled Jake out of the space. Once they were gone, she collapsed on the couch, emotionally drained from her day. She shook her head then burrowed it in her palms. Some of the things he said hit home. Had her father known what she did, he would be ashamed of her. And although she wouldn't classify herself as a whore or slut, she had made Jake wait but slept with Fitz within minutes of knowing him. So what did that make her?

She heard the door open, taking her out of her self loathing, and was happy to see Fitz walk in alone and in one piece. "I paid the cab driver extra to make sure that he got inside your apartment safely," Fitz sighed then plopped on the couch next to her.

He opened his arms and she immediately snuggled against him. "Thank you. I've never seen him like that and I can't help but to feel responsible."

"That was all liquid courage, once he sobers up, he'll be more approachable," Fitz reasoned.

"I still have to talk to him tomorrow," she said but mainly to herself.

"I'm going with you," Fitz told her instead of asking if she needed him to accompany her.

"No, this is something I have to do alone." She couldn't rub her and Fitz's relationship in Jake's face.

"Okay, but what if he's drunk again or he starts to call you those names. How about I drive you and just wait outside?" he tried to bargain knowing that there was no way he could sit and wait for her to come back to him.

"No. Besides, you have that training session at the hospital tomorrow," she reminded him.

"I don't like this," Fitz huffed and removed his arms from around her.

Sitting up, Olivia sighed and then asked, "How would you feel if the situation were reversed and I came in here with Jake and told you that I'm sorry but I can't do this anymore because I'm not happy and I fell in love with someone else. Oh and by the way, here he is and we've also been screwing for the past month or so." She could see him visibly grit his teeth as he imagined that scenario.

"Okay, you're right," he conceded, then added, "but I still don't like it."

"I know," she laughed as she snuggled back into the crook of his arm.

After a few minutes of comfortable silence, Fitz gasped aloud. "You just said you love me," he teased in a sing song voice.

"I did no such thing," she denied with a sly smile.

"Oh really? You said, and I quote, 'I fell in love with someone else,'" he told her triumphantly.

"Hmmm, don't exactly recall saying a name though. For all you know, I was talking about Dr. Beene," she joked with a serious face.

"That's just wrong," he scoffed.

"There's just something about his pot belly, gray, balding hair, and oh, the fact that he likes men just really gets me going," she said with a dreamy expression.

"You're going to pay for that," Fitz warned then crept his fingers up to her ribcage.

Olivia arched her back to get him to go higher, but a devilish grin came across his handsome face and his fingers went wild. He tickled her across her stomach and under her arms. She squirmed and squealed as she tried to get him to stop but he kept going. She cried mercy countless times but he wouldn't stop. Doing the only thing she could, she tried to buck him off by tilting her hips to his. Lightening quick, the once playful mood turned passionate and she found herself grinding against the bulge in his pants. He intertwined their fingers and pinned them above her head.

As he gazed down at her with such love, she couldn't help but verbally respond. "I love you, too," she whispered, "so much."

She met him halfway as his lips descended on hers. All the worries of the day drifted away as she felt his tongue sweep across her bottom lip. She opened and let him in, twirling her tongue around his and moaning into his mouth. He unlaced their hands so that he could glide his palm under her shirt. When he met the edge of her bra, he stopped for a second before undoing the front clasp. She whimpered as he groped her breast and lifted her hips higher into his.

She snaked her hands between their bodies, no easy feat seeing how close they were, and started to unbuckle his belt. He moved off of her some to make it easier and once she had them undone, she grasped his shirt and pulled it off of him. She licked one pec and then the other, lightly brushing over his nipple with her tongue and he shuddered.

She made her way back to his mouth, stopping to pepper kisses on his collarbone, adam's apple, and jaw. He kissed her hungrily and in a frenzy of hands, they both ended up completely naked within seconds. He trailed his hand up her calf, grabbing behind her knee to bring her leg around his waist. Her core was warm and wet and he could feel her throb against him. He steadily pushed into her, holding her gaze and watching entranced as her eyelids flutter shut.

"I," he whispered in one ear, "love," in the other, "you," he finished against her mouth.

"I love you," she groaned back, her nails anchoring in his shoulder as he thrust especially hard.

She hooked her foot around his ankle and let her other leg drop some, opening up and allowing him to slide deeper. He made love to her in the sweetest of ways, with deep, long strokes that she could feel all the way down to the tips of her toes. She arched against him, trying to get as close as possible to make the deep ache in her belly go away. He kept whispering his love for her, even drawing it on her skin with the tip of his tongue and each time, she responded, making sure he knew that she loved him too.

His movements sped up and he hit her spot in a quick succession that made her spine curve so sharply she thought it would snap. The tips of her nipples rubbed against his hard chest making little puffs of breath wheeze from her parted lips. She moaned then whimpered when he sucked the side of her neck, distinctly leaving his mark for all to see. The primal feelings of being claimed made her bite his shoulder hard, leaving her teeth marks highlighted in red. He groaned at the pain, but then in pleasure when she squeezed her inner muscles against his shaft.

"I'm so close…don't stop. Oh god…please don't stop," she whimpered and he did just the opposite.

The pleasure was so overwhelming, threatening to pull her under, and it was only getting greater. Each time he told her he loved her, her insides clenched and she could feel herself growing wetter. Oh how she loved this man. The climax washed over her hard, causing her body to shake in deep shudders. She sighed his name in the loveliest of ways, effectively making him fall over the edge with her.

When they were able to fill their lungs normally, he got up and carried her to his bedroom, laying her down gently before disappearing into the adjoining bathroom. He came back with a warm wash cloth, cleaning her up some before disappearing into the bathroom once more. When he came back, he cuddled against her, his front to her back and she sighed in contentment. Looking at the clock, he saw that it was nearly four in the morning. A long day indeed.

"My father would have liked you," she said randomly, a long yawn followed soon after.

"You think so?" he asked, wishing that he would've had a chance to meet the man that had such a huge role in creating the woman in his arms.

"I know so," she confirmed and drifted off to sleep.

* * *

Fitz woke up before Olivia and just stared down at her as the midmorning sun splayed across her back. He traced his finger up her spine, hoping to wake her, but she only stirred. He pulled the sheet down to the just above her bottom and smiled when he saw the purplish hickey that he left there at some point during the night. Well, morning. Swinging his legs over the bed, he stretched, cracking his back and neck, then headed to the bathroom to take a shower.

When he was done, he came out and saw Olivia was still sleeping. He dressed in his scrubs, checking the clock and noticing that he had to be at the hospital in a little over an hour. He had enough time to make her some brunch. He padded softly to the kitchen and searched through his cabinets and refrigerator to find the ingredients to make eggs, home fries, bacon, and grilled cheese.

Midway through cooking, he heard the shower cut on, signaling that she had finally woken up. He continued cooking, deciding to make one grilled cheese and to just split it diagonally between them. He piled the food on two plates, adding cubes of fresh pineapple and cups of orange juice. He went to the bedroom to tell her the food was ready but she was on the phone and from the little bit he heard, it sounded like she was talking to her mother.

He went back to the kitchen, taking a seat at the island, and decided to wait for her to come in before eating. He thought back over the events of last night, and while it absolutely broke his heart to see her in such pain, he had to admit that he was happy that she came to him for comfort. And when she said she loved him, he could've ran a hundred marathons and swam across the ocean all the way to India and back just on the feelings she evoked from those three little words alone.

A few minutes later, she came into the kitchen, wearing what she had been wearing last night but looking more refreshed after her shower. She sat down in front of her plate and gave him an appreciative smile before digging in.

"Are you sure that you'll be ok by yourself today? I can get out of the training," he offered, still not fully comfortable with the idea.

"Yes, Fitz, I'm sure," she chuckled at his persistence.

"Ok. Were you talking to your mother earlier? How is she?" he asked with concern.

"Yeah I was. She says she's fine but I'm going to check on her before I go see Jake today anyways," she told him between chews.

Checking his watch, Fitz saw that it was time to leave if he wanted to be on time. He got up and went to Olivia to kiss her before he left. What was supposed to be a simple peck turned out to be much deeper and he had to drag himself away before he hoisted her up on the island and ripped her clothes off.

"I gotta go," he paused at her groan, "I know, I don't want to leave either. Call me when you're done with Jake."

"I promise," she said then tilted her head for one more kiss.

"Oh, I almost forgot," Fitz said, leaving the kitchen, going to his room and coming back seconds later, "here's my key." He put the metal object on the counter.

"Fitz, I love you, I really do, but I still need time and I think giving me a key is moving too fast," Olivia said, retreating into herself some.

"I know. I just wanted you to lock up when you leave. You have to lock the bottom from the outside and I don't exactly want to come home to a ransacked apartment. You can give it back the next time we see each other," he told her and she immediately felt stupid.

"Oh," she mumbled quietly and was weirdly a little hurt that he didn't want her to have his key permanently.

Seeing her look, Fitz laughed at how wishy washy she was being. "I would like nothing more than to move you in this minute, but I have to go to work and you, well, you have to get divorced and find yourself," he smiled in a way that let her know he understood all the emotions she was feeling.

"Have I told you how much I love you?" she asked him, a huge smile spread across her face.

"Um, no, I don't think so," he said with a faux thoughtful expression.

"I love you, I love you, I love you," she repeated over and over until his mouth covered hers.

* * *

After she finished her food, she cleaned up some then grabbed her purse and left his apartment, making sure to lock up in the process. She slid his key onto her key ring, liking the way it looked next to hers, but made sure to remind herself that it was only temporary. She made a pit stop along the way at her mother's favorite café, getting her a scone and latte knowing that she probably hadn't eaten. When she pulled up in front of her parents' house, right behind her father's car, she felt herself start to tear up some. Taking a settling breath, she got out her car and headed to the front door.

She found it to be unlocked, assuming because her mother was having family come in a little later, and went to go find her mother in the one spot that she knew she was going to be. She walked through her childhood home, memories around every corner. She paused at a picture of her parents on their wedding day, looking at each other with happy expressions and hopes of forever. Right next to the picture was a photo of her and Jake on their wedding day and the looks they shared were nothing like her parents'. It was a look of content and settling and even in the picture she could tell that the moment it was taken, she was thinking of Fitz.

She continued on down the hall, stopping at her father's study, and knocked lightly before entering. Just as she suspected, her mother was sitting in her father's leather chair, facing the window and staring out blindly. It looked like she was twirling something between her fingers and when Olivia got a little closer, she saw that it was her dad's wedding ring.

"Mommy, I brought you breakfast, I'm sure that you didn't eat yet," Olivia said softly, setting the food down on the desk.

"Thanks, sweet pea, I just haven't had much of an appetite," Patricia replied, turning the chair back towards Olivia.

Her cheeks were tear stained and her eyes were bloodshot and Olivia immediately knew that she hadn't slept a wink last night. She felt bad for leaving her by herself and wished that she had at least called to check on her at some point during the night.

"Where's Jake?" her mother asked, peering around Olivia , then her eyes settled on her daughter, "Are you wearing the same thing that you were yesterday? What's going on Olivia?" her mother never called her by her first name unless something was wrong.

"That's not important right now, Mom. Have you started going over funeral stuff?" Olivia asked trying to change the subject.

"Olivia Carolyn Pope, you tell me why your husband isn't with you right now. When I lost my father, your dad wouldn't have let me out of his sight," Patricia was getting upset, but at the wrong person.

"Jake and I are going through some problems, but with all that's happened, my marriage shouldn't be at the forefront," Olivia tried to excuse the topic.

"For the past fifteen hours, the only thing that's been on my mind is the look on your father's face when he collapsed. Now just tell me what's going on so that I give my brain a break," her mother pleaded and Olivia couldn't hold it in any longer.

"Jake and I are getting a divorce," she said as quickly as possible.

"You what? You've barely been married a month. I'm sure whatever problems you may have had is not so dire that you have to go and end your marriage before it even started," Patricia said, her eyebrows furrowed in confusion as she tried to think of what problems such a young couple could possibly have.

"I cheated on him and I fell in love with the person I cheated with," she admitted.

"Oh, sweet pea," he mother said with a sad look in her eyes. "I'm sure you're just imaging these feelings…"

"I'm not. I was with him last night, that's why I'm still wearing the same clothes. My father died and all I wanted was him, not my husband, not you, him."

"What about Jake?" her mother asked, still digesting the news her daughter just told her.

"As soon as I leave here, I'm going to tell him everything."

Olivia hated the look in her mother's eyes. It was one that she had tried to avoid her entire life. It was the one of disappointment and for a brief second, she was happy that she didn't have to see that look on her father's face and immediately she felt bad for thinking that. The look on her mother's face told her that she no longer wanted to discuss the situation so for the next hour, they went over funeral details.

He was to be buried in three days in the family plot that was about an hour away. Her mother had picked out his suit during her bout of insomnia, his favorite blue pin stripe one with the red tie. They were going to arrange a twenty one gun salute and seriously considered having bag pipes play when they remembered that Rowan hated the instrument. The women had a hearty laugh about that, each imitating the voice he would make when he didn't like something. They also chose to each write letters to be buried with him and her mother decided to keep his wedding with, not yet being able to part with it. When everything was finalized and written down, they made the appointment with the funeral home for the next day to pick out the casket and floral arrangements.

It was a hard process and she and her mother had spent the rest of the morning and mid-afternoon going over details and closing Rowan's accounts at various places. By the time they were done, it was nearing four and Olivia knew that she had procrastinated long enough. Luckily, her aunt was coming in just as Olivia was leaving so that her mother wasn't alone.

"Hi Aunt Linda, Mom is in the study," Olivia said after a quick hug on the way to her car.

"Thanks. Liv, how are you holding up," the older woman asked, seemingly in the mood to strike up a conversation.

"As best as expected," Olivia told her, continuing to her car and not getting caught up talking to her aunt.

"Oh, well, I guess I'll speak to you later," Linda scoffed, finding Olivia's impatience rude.

"It's a date," Olivia replied, getting in her vehicle and driving off.

* * *

The apartment was quiet, but Olivia knew that Jake was home. His keys were by the front door along with his phone, the two things he never went anywhere without. As she stepped in further, she heard the shower running and was immediately thankful for the extra time. She took a seat on the couch and replayed the speech she thought of on the drive over again and again. She had it basically memorized when she heard the water turn off waited for him to come out.

A few minutes later Jake appeared wearing a simple tee shirt and basketball shorts, rubbing the excess water from his hair with a small towel. When he saw Olivia he stopped, sighed as if he hated the fact that she was even in his presence, and sat on the recliner adjacent from hers.

"Do you love him?" he asked after a five minute stare off.

"Yes," she replied honestly.

"How did…when did…explain to me how this happened," he demanded and scooted closer to the edge of his seat.

"I met him the night before our wedding. Abby dragged me to a strip club. I didn't want to go," she explained as if her initial resistance made it better, "she had set up a dance, had me called up on stage and everything. Fitz was the dancer and well…"she stopped, hoping he'd fill in the pieces, thinking it be better if she not get into details.

"You cheated the night before our wedding with a stripper," he laughed humorlessly. "So I'm assuming you were with him that night you stayed out," she nodded, "and he's why you wouldn't let me touch you," she nodded again.

"Just tell me one thing," he beseeched, "when did you stop loving me? When did I stop being enough? I did everything in my power to make you happy. Romantic dinners, I always remembered birthdays and anniversaries, we had good times right?" he wanted to know, now doubting their entire relationship.

"Of course," she said quickly to try and reassure him, "We had some great times Jake. You were my first love, my best friend. But at some point, I needed more. Being with you got too repetitive, predictable almost. But I was willing to make it work, I was set to marry you and prepared to be happy with mediocre. Then Fitz came out of nowhere and turned my whole world upside down. He opened my eyes to what I was missing, what we were missing, and I fell in love."

She could've sworn that she heard his heart break and she could feel hers crack a little too. Jake truly was a good guy and an excellent boyfriend. She loved him, but she just wasn't _in_ love with him anymore. They had drifted apart and neither was brave enough to admit it. She knew that he'd make some woman an excellent husband one day, but that woman just wasn't her.

"Wow," he said, unbelieving that he was hearing this.

"How did you find out about us?" Olivia asked, her curiosity getting the better of her.

"When Fitz and I were meeting for drinks earlier, he went to the bathroom, not realizing he left his phone on the table. I saw your name attached to a message come across the screen and was wondering why my wife was about to go see another man at that time of night. I was going to follow him, but he had already left. After having a few more drinks at the bar, I remembered that we had set up that Find My iPhone app on both of our phones and used it to track you," he confessed.

"Hmmm…"Olivia hummed, realizing that cellphones were responsible for her demise.

"So what now?" he asked, his head hanging low.

"I think we should get an annulment," she said straight up, not wanting to drag out his misery or hers any longer.

"Like we never even happened," he muttered.

"I'm not trying to erase you, Jake. I just think that it's best. Maybe we can still be frie…"he cut her off before she could finish.

"Don't say we can be friends. You are my wife, not my pal, not my buddy, my wife," he stood up and began to pace.

"I'm so sorry," she apologized, not knowing what else to say.

"Look, you can have the apartment," he wasn't ready to hear her apology yet, "but I want all the money in the joint account," he said as if that was a fair trade.

"All of the money? Jake, I saw what you had in the crossword puzzle book. Are you in some type of trouble?"

* * *

**AN: So this was a really long chapter. I think it's longer than any that I've written to date. Anyways, so Jake was a bit of an asshole in the first meeting and Fitz had to straighten him out. There's something about a strong, manly, stand up for your woman Fitz that's kinda hot, lol. They finally said those three words, but agreed to still take things at her pace. Olivia went and saw her mother and Patricia was disappointed, how sad. But we do have a funeral coming up which means that Fitz will be introduced to her family. Oh and I almost forgot, Jake's secret will definitely come out next chapter. (If I were being completely honest, I'd admit that I still don't have a concrete plan as to where I want to go with that) In the next few chapters, we'll navigate Fitz and Olivia's relationship, how him being a stripper affects things, and raise your hand if you missed Mellie, lol. **


	8. Endings and New beginnings

**Disclaimer: I don't own Scandal.**

**AN: Hello everybody! So I know it's it been a while, but hey, stuff happens. Anyways, so this chapter is mainly a filler of sorts, a means to an end. We mainly find out Jake's secret and deal with the fallout from that. I apologize in advance if it's a bit anticlimactic and say thank you in advance if you like how it goes. Happy reading...**

* * *

"What do you mean you saw the crossword puzzle book?" Jake asked, his brows rising along with his anger.

"I was looking for a pen and I saw it. Jake. What the hell has been going on? All those dates, places, and other random numbers, what's going on?" She was definitely caught off guard when she saw the evidence of the secret he was keeping.

"I messed up really bad, Olivia," Jake confessed, burrowing his head in his hands and going silent.

Getting up, she went into the bedroom to get the crossword puzzles from the drawer in his nightstand. She needed to look at it again, study it, and try to figure out what the heck was going on. She came back into the living room, sat down, and opened to the page that a pen was wedged in. She scanned the piece of computer paper that was folded and stuck in the crease, no doubt put there to ward off her suspicions of him doing anything other than filling in letters to blank spaces by using the provided clues. She started looking a little more closely, noticing that there was a specific pattern.

The dates were all significant events in her lifetime. There was each of their birthdays, her birthday, her parent's wedding anniversary, her graduation from college and medical school, the day he proposed, and other days that she couldn't exactly recall the significance because her mind was still reeling from what she was seeing. Then there were places, locations they had been, and under the first letter of each place was a number that corresponded with the letter's numeric place in the alphabet. But he would only do four numbers, no matter what it was, dates, places, and other combinations, there were only four numbers. _Combinations. _

"Jake, please tell me you're not trying to crack my safe," Olivia said quietly, not being able to look up at him.

"I owe someone some money. A client from the office," he said in lieu of answering her question. "He, uh, he gave me a briefcase," Jake paused and stood up, pacing back and forth, "and he told me to make sure it got to a specific place. I had no idea what was in the briefcase and on my way to deliver it, I lost it."

"You're a lawyer, what are you doing playing delivery boy? And what do you mean you lost it?" The guy he was describing sounded like some sort of gangster that could potentially cause problems for her if he didn't get the contents of his briefcase back.

"At the firm, they make all new lawyers go through this rite of passage. It's almost like hazing. They give us the scum of the earth as clients and make us prove that we're capable of handling anything before giving us a real case. Anyways, this guy, he ordered me to deliver the briefcase and knowing the type of person he is, I obviously agreed." He hadn't stopped his pacing, in fact, it picked up, and he was adding more and more hand motions when he was talking. A signal that he was in panic mode.

"How much money, Jake?" She had to know what they were dealing with, because upcoming divorce or not, he was still someone that was important to her and she wanted to help. Also, a little less noble than her first reason, she wanted assuage her guilt and figured helping him out of his bind would settle them even.

"Um, twenty five thousand," he admitted sheepishly.

"Twenty five thousand? Are you kidding me? How do you lose a briefcase with that amount in it?" She thought it was only a couple thousand, ten at the most. Ten she could've dealt with. But twenty five thousand? They didn't have nearly that amount of money.

That must have been why he wanted all the money in the joint account. The money in the joint account, however, wasn't a lot in comparison to what he owed. It was only a portion of their separate incomes that was put there specifically for bills and other household expenses. It had maybe eight thousand dollars in it and that was the peak. Each month, money would be taken out and put back in, keeping it at that steady plateau. They each had personal accounts that the bulk of their money went to and she assumed that Jake had been spending his trying to dig himself out of the pit he was in.

"I stopped off somewhere, I can't remember exactly, and I must have set it down and forgot about it. The point is, it's gone and I have to replace it," he explained, getting upset that she was focusing on the details of how he got into the situation and not how they were going to get him out of it.

"You can't ask your parents for the money?" Jake's parents were loaded and they weren't shy about throwing money at him whenever he asked.

"I did. The twenty five thousand is what is left after their help and payments I've been making with my own money," he confessed, finally stopping his pacing.

"How much money can fit into a damn briefcase?" she wondered rhetorically.

"You'd be surprised…"

Then the whole reason they were having this conversation came back into her mind. The crossword puzzles and the fact he was trying to figure out the combination to her safe.

"So you were going to break into my safe for what?" She thought over everything she had in there and that's when it hit her. "The necklace that's been passed down my family for generations. That's what you wanted didn't you?"

Before giving it to her on her twenty first birthday, her father had had the necklace appraised. It was a beautiful piece of jewelry, lined with diamonds and pearls with a rare gem hanging down in the middle. Due to the quality of the stones, it's age, history and rarity, the necklace was worth around thirty thousand dollars. Apparently just the right amount for Jake to steal it from her.

"I tried to pay him off. I did everything I could and it wasn't enough. So I got to thinking and that was my only option. My client was intrigued and gave me a deadline to get it to him. You told me the combination long ago and I couldn't for the life of me remember what it was. I tried everything and nothing worked," he said in a way as if it were her fault that he couldn't break into the safe.

"And what, you thought I wouldn't notice it was missing?" She was fuming now, any thoughts of helping him flew straight out the window.

"I was going to take everything and make it look like we had a robbery," he chuckled cynically, humorlessly, pitifully, "but I couldn't get the damn thing open."

In some kind of weird, ironic twist, she had actually recently changed the combination of the safe to the last four digits of Fitz's phone number. Had she not, she would've been blindsided with a robbery because the original combo was the anniversary of when she and Jake first kissed. He never could remember that day, but she knew that he was getting close.

"And to actually think that I was considering helping you," Olivia remarked, standing up and going to their bedroom.

She walked towards their closet, pulling out multiple suitcases and started stuffing her clothes into them. She no longer felt guilty about Fitz, not when Jake was planning to do something like this. She would lie awake at night, contrition eating at her insides, and as she lay next to him, he plotted against her, writing down number after number in attempts to find the right blending that would rid him of all of his financial problems.

"You have to, Olivia. You don't know him, this guy Huck will kill me if I don't get him his money," Jake pleaded.

"Huck?" Olivia tested the strange appellation out on her tongue.

"That's not his real name of course, but why does his weird name matter?" Jake was getting frustrated that she once again was not looking at the bigger picture.

"And what exactly does he do that he's so dangerous but needs a lawyer to drop of his dirty money?" Olivia questioned, folding her arms across her chest.

"He's some sort of computer programmer by day, but that's just a cover. He hacks online bank accounts and transfers money, but he works under someone else. Apparently his boss also has him take people out when plans go awry. You see, this is serious, I need the money or I'm dead," his eyes were full of worry and it was clear that he'd been losing sleep over this issue.

Olivia shook her head in disgust then continued to pack, throwing everything she owned into her bags. She really did not want to deal with this right now. Her father's funeral was coming up soon, she still had to sort out how to end their marriage as quickly and quietly as possible, find a new place, and in the midst of it all was Fitz. She was overwhelmed to say the least and just wanted everything to be over.

Sighing, she wiped her hands down her face and after zipping up her last bag, turned to face Jake. "Fine. I'll give you the money, but only as a loan. I expect to be repaid in full. You can deposit a set amount monthly into an account that I'll set up. You can keep the apartment, but I am taking the money in the joint account. That doesn't count towards the money you owe me however. I don't want any problems going forward with the annulment and the only time I ever want to hear from again is when we sign the final papers. Got it?" Even though she couldn't stand the sight of him right now, she still didn't want him to die.

He looked surprised that she was going to help him. He obviously hadn't expected it but beneath the surprise was appreciation and relief. "I understand. Thank you. I'll pay you back every dime."

"I'll have my lawyer draw up a contract that states how much and for how long you will be repaying me and I'll have him send it with the divorce papers," Olivia told him and wheeled her bags to the front door.

Unexpectedly, she felt a twinge of sadness for the man that she was leaving behind. He was her best friend, lover, and husband and in a blink of an eye, all of that came tumbling down. They had some good times, were truly happy once, and she would remember it fondly. But they could no longer be together and it was time for her to go.

"Olivia," Jake called out to her.

"Yes, Jake?" she responded, keeping her back still turned to him, her hand on the knob.

"I just wanted to let you know that I love you and I hope that you find everything you're looking for. You deserve to be happy," he said sincerely.

A tear fell down her cheek but she quickly got it together. Turning slightly, she gave him a weak smile. "You do too, Jake." She opened the door, twisted the key to their home off her key ring, placed it on the catchall, then left without looking back.

* * *

"I would've never guessed he was into shady business like that," Fitz said, his voice still smooth and silky even though it was coming from a phone receiver and not gracing her ears in person.

"Me neither, I mean, I had no idea," she replied, still not completely able to wrap her head around the week's events.

Olivia fell back onto her childhood bed, feeling like a teenage girl again as she looked at her NSYNC and Backstreet Boys posters that adorned her wall. She was even talking on a phone with a cord, twisting the curly wire around her finger as she silently mused about the gadget still working. When she left Jake, she did so with the dire need to get out of his presence, not thinking about the fact that she had nowhere to go. She called a real estate agent and she was excited to be looking at apartments the following week. She didn't want to impose on her mother for too long even though her mom insisted that it was no trouble at all.

"So are you going to help him out?" Fitz questioned.

"Yeah. My father left me some money and I'll use a portion of that to bail him out of trouble," Olivia told him and she could almost hear him grinding his teeth.

"Are you sure that's a good idea? I don't think you should get caught up in his mess," Fitz said, his voice full of concern for her safety.

"What other choice do I have?" It was both rhetorical and something she wanted the answer to. If he could give her a better option, she'd take it.

"Not giving him the money," was his brilliant solution.

"I can't just let him die, Fitz," she sounded exhausted for having to debate her choice.

"The man was going to rob you blind and not even blink an eye at it," his tone was one of frustration, like he couldn't believe that she was even considering helping out her soon to be ex-husband.

"Two wrongs don't make a right, especially in a situation like this. I can't let my pettiness cloud what is really the right thing to do here. If something were to happen to him because I didn't help him over what he was _planning_ to do, I would never forgive myself," she tried to explain. "I don't want to discuss this anymore."

"Okay," he conceded but she could still tell he wasn't over it. Nevertheless, he changed the subject. "So what time does the funeral start tomorrow?" Fitz asked, "Do you want me to meet you at the church or…"

"Fitz, I don't think you should go," Olivia interrupted.

There was a lengthy pause before he spoke again. "Maybe you're right. Funerals aren't the best time to meet your girl-" he stopped abruptly. Olivia wasn't his girlfriend, but she wasn't_ just_ his friend either, "to meet your family."

"I'm happy you understand. The day should be about Daddy and not about me worrying if my mother likes you or not." Olivia breathed a sigh of relief, happy he wasn't going to hassle her on this too.

"If you want to meet up afterwards, you know to vent or to just talk, let me know and I'll meet you anywhere. I already took the day off," he told her.

"I appreciate that, Fitz, but I think we need some time apart," she forced the words past her lips.

"When you said that you needed time to find yourself, I didn't think that meant we couldn't see each other outside of work." He couldn't hide hurt from his voice.

"Being around you is going to make me want to be_ with _you sooner than what I'm ready for and I just want to curb the temptation." She knew if she spent time with just the two of them that she'd end up in his bed and as great as it felt, it wasn't conducive to what she was trying to accomplish right now.

"Well if that's how you feel, I respect that. I won't say that I'm crazy about the idea, but I promised I would wait for as long as need." When he said things like that, so understanding, it made her want to forgo her self imposed break and go see him right then.

"Thank you," she breathed into the phone and heard a distant and familiar beep come through the line.

"They're paging me, I gotta go," he said regrettably, then after a short pause, "I love you." He sounded hesitant, almost as if he didn't know if it were appropriate to tell her such because they weren't going to see each other for a while.

Before she could respond, he hung up. "I love you, too," she professed to the dial tone.

A knock on the door brought her out of her feelings and Olivia called out her permission for entrance, knowing that it was her mother and that she was probably coming to gage Olivia's feelings on the funeral tomorrow.

"Hi, sweet pea," her mother greeted, coming in and sitting on the edge of her daughter's bed.

"Hey, Mom," Olivia returned, "so are you ready for tomorrow?"

"I don't think I'll ever truly be ready, but I understand that it is necessary," she sighed, a sad look coming into her eyes.

"I understand completely."

They both sat in silence for little bit, just soaking in each other's company as they thought about what tomorrow would entail. Olivia had been to funerals before, both sets of grandparents were gone and there was the occasional relative that she never met but she was forced to attend the service anyways. And while each had a potent aura of grief and sadness, she was able to disconnect in some shape or form. But she knew that seeing her father in his coffin, stiff and lifeless, would be one of the hardest things she'd ever have to do.

"Are you bringing that young man you've been seeing?" her mother asked, bringing her out of her thoughts.

Ever since Olivia told her mother about her affair all of three days ago, they hadn't discussed it further. Olivia could tell that her mother wasn't comfortable discussing that subject matter and probably wasn't too keen on the idea of meeting Fitz so soon. That was another reason she didn't want Fitz to come to the funeral. She wanted to give her mom time to get used to the idea of another man being in her life and thrusting Fitz into her face during the hardest time in her life wasn't such a good idea.

"I don't think that it's the right time or place to introduce him to the family. Especially since everyone will be wondering where Jake is and why I showed up with another man," Olivia informed.

"I think that was the right choice," Patricia agreed, standing up and heading towards the door. "Well, I'm going to go and try and get some sleep so I don't look positively horrible the last time I see your father," she tried to joke but the melancholy in her voice made the statement anything but funny.

Standing in the doorway, Patricia turned a bit and with a catch in her throat, said, "I still expect to wake up and have him beside me. I loved your father with all my heart and I hope that you will someday find that with someone. If that man that you're seeing makes you feel like you can't live without him, then don't. Be happy with him," she advised then silently walked away.

It was like her mother knew that Olivia was holding herself back from Fitz, not giving him her whole heart yet. She mulled over the words her mother told her and she was both happy and relieved that she got her mother's blessing. She knew that Patricia wasn't jumping for joy over the way the relationship came about, but she also knew that she wanted her only child to be happy.

* * *

The music started to play, cuing Fitz's turn on stage. Tonight he was dressed up as a UPS man, coming to deliver a _big package. _For some reason, the ladies went crazy over the short brown shorts, brown shirt that he never bothered to button, and oiled down abs. It was nearing wedding season so the bachelorettes were out in full swing which demanded that he bring out his best moves. He worked as often as possible, barely getting any sleep between the hospital, the Naughty Kitten, and constantly thinking of Olivia.

As he walked out on stage, shaking his stuff and grinding his hips, he couldn't help but think back to the night he met Olivia. He was completely disconnected from the dance and the person he was dancing for, but having done this routine many times, it was second nature anyways. He could feel her hands running over him, stuffing money into his waistband and was happy that the show was almost over. Deciding to concentrate, he looked down at the bride-to-be and wasn't in the least bit impressed. She was a regular blonde hair, blue eyed woman and was trying her absolute hardest to get Fitz's attention. She was pushing her breasts out, licking her lips, and inching her hand closer and closer to his crotch. He wasn't even tempted, and honestly, he was a tad disgusted by her blatant display of desperation.

Catching her hand before it could go too far, he played off the movement by standing her up and personally walking her off the stage as the final notes of the song drifted to an end. As he walked her through the audience and towards her chair, random women tucked more money into his waistband and grabbed at his ass as he passed them. He gave them each an appreciative smile and looked out at the tables trying to see which would give him the most money as he passed. Usually the girls with the most drinks on their table were a lot looser with their purse strings and he saw a slew of women that fit that description. But one woman caught his attention. Mellie. She had a smirk on her face as if she just discovered the juiciest secret and she even had the nerve to wink at him.

"My table is over there," the woman he was escorting told him in what he guessed was supposed to a sexy, husky tone. Instead, it sounded as if she was a lifelong smoker who was in desperate need of a lung transplant and a stoma.

He followed the direction her finger was pointing with his eyes and once again moved away from the fake breasts she pushing against his arm. Of course she was pointing to the table Mellie was sitting at. Damn. He was highly tempted to just leave her standing there, but because the table was towards the back, it was too much of a money making opportunity to pass up, knowing as he moved through the crowd, there'd be endless ones shoved into his hands. Sighing, he continued on his journey.

"Well, well, well, what do we have here?" Mellie laughed as Fitz approached the table.

"Hello, Mellie," Fitz addressed, "ladies, I hope you all enjoy the rest of your evening," he said politely then started to walk away.

"See you at work tomorrow," she called after him and he could hear the other women at the table say how jealous they were that she got to work with such a "hottie".

Fitz wasn't ashamed of his job, in fact, if people would ask, he would be honest about what he did on the side. But that was the thing, they had to ask, he wasn't readily forthcoming with the information. Over the weeks he got to know Mellie, he learned she was vindictive and cold hearted and knew that there was no way that the entire hospital wasn't going to know about his second job by the time he showed up for his shift the next morning.

* * *

_3 weeks later_...

"So I just got settled in to my new place and I'm throwing a housewarming party Saturday if you wanna come," Olivia informed Abby as they looked over some charts.

"Of course I'll be there. What time?" Abby asked, still glancing at a patient's information.

"What time for what?" she heard a voice that didn't belong to Abby ask. Fitz…

"Olivia is throwing a housewarming party Saturday night and I wanted to know what time to show up," Abby blabbed.

"This is the last time I trust you with anything," Olivia mumbled to herself, then out loud, "It's just a small get together at my new place, don't feel obligated to come."

Over the past few weeks, Olivia and Fitz's interactions were extremely limited. Even though they both worked in the same area of the hospital, the ER was always busy so there was rarely downtime for them to actually have to have a real conversation. They would bump into each other rushing around, nod or say hi if they passed one another in the halls, and on a few occasions, Fitz would bring her lunch and simply label it as hers and put it in the fridge in the break room. But that was pretty much it. The limited physical contact, however, did nothing to stop her of mentally envisioning his hands all over her. She was kept awake at night just thinking about him.

"I don't have anything planned for Saturday, I would love to come," he interjected with his signature smile.

"Um, okay, I'll text you my address and the time…"

* * *

**AN: So there we have it, Jake's big secret is revealed. How many of you saw that coming? How many would have helped him out of his situation? And Huck being involved? That was mainly because I hadn't given him a role and it seemed to fit at the moment. Jake is for the most part gone but we may or may not run into again, I haven't decided. We got to interact with stripper Fitz some more(I believed I ordered a package that still hasn't arrived yet, lol) and Mellie now knows what he does on the side. What kind of problems do you think this will cause in the future? Feel free to answer all of the questions posed in a review below. Till next time...**


	9. Hi

**Disclaimer: I don't own Scandal.**

**AN: So this chapter is pretty much all fluff and smut. Flutt? Smuff? Idk, I'll think of a good combination later, or maybe you guys have a suggestion of how to combine the two. Anyways, happy reading ;)**

* * *

"UGGGHHH!" Olivia yelled, extremely frustrated as she held another dress -still on the hanger- up against her body and looked at herself in the mirror.

Deciding that that dress wouldn't do either, she chucked onto the ever growing pile of other discarded outfits. She had been at this for an hour, trying on clothes only to deicide that the outfit wasn't sexy enough or that it was too sexy. Desperate was the last look she was trying to achieve. Why should she even care? It was only a housewarming party. Who was she kidding? She cared because Fitz was going to be there. She immaturely stomped back to her closet, rifling through empty hangers and blouses hoping to find the perfect combination of clothes to entice her lost love when her phone started to ring and the ringtone signaled that it was Fitz.

She rushed out of her closet and tripped on one of her heels that was strewn about in her haste to get to the phone as fast as possible. She cursed her fates and her stubbed toe as she lay on the floor of her bedroom. Recovering, she quickly got up, looking around as if somebody had seen her tumble, then rushed over to the still ringing phone on her nightstand. She took a few calming breaths, trying to settle her pumping heart, then answered.

"Hi," she said, hoping to keep that fact that she was winded hidden.

"Hi…Liv? Are you ok, you sound out of breath," Fitz mentioned and she blushed in embarrassment.

"I kinda rushed to the phone," she admitted and she could almost picture his grin of satisfaction.

"Oh, okay. Well I was calling to see if you wanted me to bring anything, food or otherwise," he said, a light chuckle in his tone as he know doubt was imagining her sprinting to the phone.

"No, just bring yourself. I've got everything covered," she responded, making a mental note to make sure that the caterer was going to be on time.

"Okay, that works. I'll see you soon," he replied, sounding a little sad that the conversation was coming to an end.

"See you soon," she said, preparing to hang up.

"Livi," he called before she could press end, "I miss you," he breathed, seemingly a big weight lifting off his chest.

A wide smile spread across her face at his admission and a warm glow filled her entire system. "I miss you, too. So much."

They sat in silence, just listening to each other breathe and feeling a sense of serenity that had been lost in the three weeks they were apart. While she missed him terribly, she had to admit that the time alone was helpful. She started painting again, something she hadn't done in years and the common theme with them all was love. She also started to swim, something she enjoyed immensely and gave her time to either think or to just clear her mind and float. But as she was finding herself, she found that she was just putting off the inevitable and figured out what she knew all along. That she belonged with Fitz, he was hers and she was his, and at this party, she was going to make sure he knew that.

"Bye," he finally broke the silence.

"Bye…"

* * *

The last three weeks had been hell for Fitz. He would see Olivia walk past him in the halls and she would barely acknowledge his presence. A nod here, a hello there, but that was pretty much the extent of their interactions. He would leave lunch for her on occasion, just something to let her know that he was thinking of her, but his efforts seemed to have gone unnoticed. He would hold his phone for hours, her number already typed in but he just couldn't bring himself to hit call.

Tonight, however, he had a plausible excuse for needing to hear her voice. Under the ruse of wanting to know if she needed him to bring something, he got what he'd been craving. A conversation, some type of acknowledgement that she knew he existed and if tonight went as planned, he wouldn't have to wait another three weeks before everyone knew that she was his.

As he perused the vase section of Pier1 Imports, Fitz once again cursed the fact that he had not a clue of how to decorate. "I should've gone to Bed Bath and Beyond," he mumbled to himself.

He continued down the aisle, soon engulfed in throw pillows and other weird knick knacks. After seeing a commercial that promised that an item would 'speak to him', he figured this would be the best place to look. Nothing in here screamed Olivia though and he once again circled around the candles that were so fragrant they made him cough. Finally a sales associate took pity on him.

"Can I help you, sir?" a young woman whose name tag read Mandy asked.

"Yes, actually, I'm looking for a housewarming present for my girlfriend," he said proudly and Mandy said that she had just the right thing.

An hour later, gift in tow, Fitz was heading into the elevator of Olivia's loft style building, nervous energy bubbling in the pits of his stomach. The doors were just about to close when a palm shot out to keep it open. He groaned in frustration when he saw who the palm was connected to.

"Hello, Mellie," Fitz greeted politely, hoping that she'd return the greeting and that would be it.

"Why hello Dr. Grant, or shall I say, Mr. Postman," she chuckled loudly as if she had just told the funniest joke in the entire world.

He knew that she had been saving that for quite some and wondered idly how long it took for her to come up with the lame joke before he decided that he didn't care. He did, however, care to know what the heck she was doing here. It was no secret that she and Olivia weren't besties and he seriously doubted that she received an invitation.

"What are you doing here?" Fitz asked, curiosity getting the better of him.

"I heard the buzz about the party around the ER and decided what the hell, I don't have anything better to do, why not pop on in," she said casually as if her explanation made sense.

When the elevator finally dinged, Fitz was relieved to be out of the confining space, a space that seemed so much smaller with Mellie and her ego crammed inside. As he was exiting, a realization dawned on him. With them arriving at the same time, it would seem like he and Mellie came together. He tried to speed walk to Olivia's door so that it seemed as if he and Mellie arrived separately but she kept pace with him. Finally reaching her apartment with Mellie by his side, he knocked loudly and prayed that someone other than Olivia opened the door.

* * *

She heard the knock at the door and got that giddy feeling in the pit of her stomach that let her know exactly who was on the other side. She had to force herself not to run to the door like she ran to the phone earlier that evening. Walking as fast as her feet would allow without looking too eager, she hurriedly made her way to the entrance. Stopping at the threshold, she self-consciously smoothed the skirt of her dress and patted down any fly aways that may be sticking up from her hair. With a wide smile on her face, she opened the door only for the smile to fall as soon as she saw who was practically glued to his side.

_I will not cry, I will not cry, _she chanted to herself as she eyed Fitz and Mellie looking every bit of a couple standing in her doorway. How dare he bring her hear to _her _housewarming and pretend not to know how it would affect her. But could she blame him for moving on? Fitz was a very attractive man and as much as it pained her to admit it, Mellie was pretty in an ice queen sort of way. Why wouldn't they hook up? So why the phone call earlier and why tell her he missed her only to show up with another woman?

"Olivia, thanks for inviting _us_ to your party, I can tell already that your place is nice." Mellie smiled her award winning smile and if Olivia wasn't mistaken, scooted in closer to Fitz.

Olivia wanted to claw Mellie's eyes out she was so jealous. To his credit, Fitz did try to move away from Mellie and seemed to convey how sorry he was through his eyes. Swallowing her pride, she stepped aside and let them in.

"Thank you for coming, please, come on in." She hoped she sounded sincere, but knew that it was a long shot.

The two entered the apartment and not feeling up to watching them together, Olivia excused herself to her to the bathroom. She could hear the footsteps following her close behind but refused to turn and look at him. She almost had the door shut, was almost safe, but he somehow managed to muscle his way through. All the air was sucked out of the room and all she wanted to do was launch herself into his arms. So she did. She missed him and for right now, she was willing to forget that he showed up with another woman for just one moment of bliss.

He smelled so good, so masculine, so Fitz, that she couldn't help but burrow her face in his chest and inhale him. He tightened his arms around her waist and buried his face in her neck, content just to hold her. Olivia wound her fingers in his curls and brought his mouth to hers, needing to feel the gentle pull of his lips, the lush glide of his tongue against hers. He seemed a little caught off guard by her forwardness, but soon was matching her intensity. He kissed her as if he was starving, eating at her mouth until all she could do was moan.

He hoisted her up on the counter, his hands going underneath her dress and up her thighs. When they reached the edge of her panties, her breath hitched and she opened her legs wider. He skimmed a finger against the seat of her underwear and she bit his lip at the slight rush of pleasure. It had been way too long and she wanted him _so_ bad. She was ready to go the distance until she remembered who he showed up with.

Pushing him away, she struggled to calm her rapidly beating heart. There was a million questions and accusations but all that came out was, "how could you?", and she could've smacked herself with how vulnerable she sounded, even to her own ears.

"It's not what you think. I didn't come here with Mellie, I would never do that to you. We just so happened to share an elevator together, nothing more," he reassured her.

She immediately felt stupid for jumping to conclusions. "I'm sorry, it just seemed like you two came together and she was standing so close, too close, to you." She hung her head, not being able to meet his gaze.

Reclaiming his spot between her legs, he lifted her chin so that she was looking at him. "When I told you that I loved you, did you not believe me? When I said that I'd wait for you for as long as you needed, that I missed you, did you not believe me?" he questioned, a twinge of hurt to his tone.

"I did, I do, it's just…old insecurities," she tried to laugh it off.

"I love you and only you. You never have to worry about me even being remotely attracted to Mellie or anyone else," he said convincingly then kissed her again.

The kiss went on and on, her bathroom mirror fogging up from the sheer intensity of it. Her panties found themselves dangling around her ankle and his fingers found themselves inching ever closer to her wet core. When he connected, she let out a long, low moan that sent tingles up his spine.

"Fitz, baby, we have to stop. There are people out there," she breathed halfheartedly even as she ground her hips into his hand.

Pulling his fingers from her tight sheath, she watched as he licked her essence off of his digits, his eyes closing as if he were trying to savor her taste. "Just a little bit," he groaned and she was slightly confused by his choice of words. But when he sank to his knees, all the confusion evaporated. "Just a little taste."

He slung her legs over his shoulders leaving her completely open to him and growled before he dove right on in. The first lick had her spine straightening and her hands going to his hair to clutch him closer. He swirled his tongue wickedly around her clit, drawing the bud between his lips and making hot bolts of pleasure shoot throughout her system. She tried to contain her moans, biting her bottom lip so hard she could taste blood, but it didn't seem to work. Each moan she let loose earned her an answering groan from Fitz, the sound vibrating against her folds and making her that much wetter.

"Fitz…"she whimpered his name, so close to the edge that is was the only word that registered in brain.

When he stuck two fingers inside, curling the up so they brushed her spot, that was all she could take and she exploded, weeping and tossing her head back as she let the powerful sensations wash over her. He stayed with her, kept dragging his tongue up her slit until she came again. She begged him to stop, the feelings too intense, then in the next breath pleaded with him not to. He didn't quit until she had her third and most heady orgasm yet. It started at her toes, building its way up her legs and radiating at her center before bursting in a scorching heat that took her breath away.

Fitz sat back on his haunches, a satisfied smirk playing at his lips and Olivia couldn't help but mirror it. Her fingers trembled as she got off the counter and her legs wobbled as she attempted to walk over to the tub. Sitting on the edge, she grabbed a washcloth and cleaned herself up while Fitz splashed cold water on his face in an attempt to calm his raging libido.

"Wow," Olivia finally broke the silence as she got up and tried to remain steady on her feet.

"Well, I told you I missed you," he said as way of explanation and she burst out laughing.

He laughed too, and when they calmed, all that was left was the love between them. "I love you," she was the first to say it this time and the smile that came across his face told her it was well worth it.

"I love you, too. Are you done finding yourself? Can we be together now?" he asked hopefully.

"I don't think I'll ever be done finding myself but what I am done with is pushing you away," she told him and squealed when he picked her up and spun her around.

When he finally set her on her feet, her heart was racing and her cheeks were hurting from smiling so much. She knew she was going to have a hell of a time explaining their absence but at that moment, she could care less what anyone thought. She had her man and was going to be happy for once. They exited the bathroom hand in hand and headed back to the party.

All of her guests looked at her with knowing looks. Many gave cat calls, others whistled, while some-Mellie- looked on in disgust. Deciding that she'd rub it in, Olivia tugged on Fitz's hand, bringing him to her level, and claimed his lips. She heard claps and a voice that sounded distinctly like Abby's yell 'finally'.

When they broke apart, Fitz asked her if she wanted a glass of wine and being Olivia Pope, she gave him a look that said, 'when don't I want wine' and sent him towards the kitchen. She was still smiling ear to ear when Abby came up to her.

"Thank you," Abby said and hugged her best friend.

"Thank you?" Olivia repeated with slight confusion.

"Yes, the entire ER had a bet going as to when you two would finally stop playing games and get together. I just won three hundred bucks," Abby said excitedly.

"The _entire _ER, how did they even know? You told everyone?" Olivia didn't know which made her angrier, the fact that everyone was in her personal business or that Abby was the root of the rumors.

"Of course not. People aren't blind, Olivia. We're doctors for Christ sake, you would think we would have the common sense to see when two people are in love. Plus it doesn't help your case when you get freaky in the on-call room," Abby said, referencing the time nearly a month ago that Olivia and Fitz had gotten carried away.

"But you still played into it," Olivia pointed out, not letting her anger go.

"Duh, easy money. If it makes you feel any better, I was going to use part of the money to treat us to a spa day and lunch," she said with an apologetic smile.

"Can I pick the spa and restaurant?" Olivia asked, not wanting to let her friend off the hook too easy.

"Deal," Abby agreed and stuck her hand out to shake. "Now I'm going to go collect my winnings."

* * *

The rest of the party went swimmingly, her friends telling her horror stories of living alone. She laughed when Fitz told her how one of his female neighbors, who happened to look like she was a hundred, brought him a pie then proceeded to ask if he wanted a piece of _her _pie. The old woman even had the nerve to do a little shimmy for him and Fitz made the story that much more hilarious by imitating the move. As Olivia laughed, she made a mental note to make sure to let that old woman know that Fitz was getting all the _pie_ he needed from her.

The night was winding down, most of her guest had left after wishing her best wishes in her new place and leaving various housewarming gifts. When the last person shuffled out and it was just her and Fitz, she felt like she could finally exhale. They flopped onto her new white couch, Fitz sprawled out with her on top of him. She laid her head on his chest, listening to his rhythmic heartbeat and quickly drifting off to sleep.

"I got you a gift," Fitz's voice broke the silence and brought her out of her near slumber.

"Oh yeah?" she responded around a yawn.

Reaching his long arm out to the coffee table, he grabbed a blue gift bag and handed it to her. Sitting up on her elbows, she pawed through the pink tissue paper and pulled out a picture frame. It was wrought iron with hearts welded in the metal. The picture that was incased was of one of the two of them, the one they took at Kings Dominion in the tower. The sun was setting and it created a perfect glow behind them. She was looking into the camera smiling while his head was turned towards her, his eyes closed and a grin curving the corners of his mouth. He looked so at peace with his arms around her waist and she looked happier than she'd ever been.

"It's beautiful," she said, tears welling up in her eyes.

"I wanted you to have a piece of us here," he explained.

Smiling, she brought her lips to his and what initially was supposed to be a kiss of gratitude soon turned into something way more. His hands gripped her hips and rolled them over. He ground his erection into her center until her legs wrapped around him in invitation and her mouth fell open in a moan. Suddenly she found herself lifted off of the couch and headed towards her bedroom. He didn't stop at the bed like she thought he was going to, instead, he continued to her on suite bathroom. The idea of him taking her in the shower was highly appealing and he set her on her feet while he moved to turn on the water.

Without saying a word, he grabbed the hem of her dress and pulled it up and off her body. He groaned when he saw the wisps of red lace that was supposed to be her underwear, not having had the pleasure of seeing the full effect earlier. She felt beautiful as he stared at her with lust and love filled eyes and wanted him to be just as exposed as she was. She tugged off his black vee neck and pulled his pants down in record timing, squeezing her thighs together when she saw the bulge tenting his boxers knowing exactly where that bulge would be in about five minutes.

Underwear removed, they stepped into the shower and under the hot spray of water. Fitz hugged her close, the water barely able to find creases and crevices between them to flow properly to its final destination of the drain. Her tongue dueled with his, the quick pace speaking of their desperation to be joined because both knew that it had been too long. The stiff peaks of her straining nipples rubbed against the hair on his chest and the erotic scrape had her smashing her aching core into his cock.

When she couldn't take anymore, he turned her around, facing her towards the farthest wall and instructed her to brace her hands on the cool tiles. She complied and when she felt the strong grip of his arms around her waist, her head dropped to her chest and she prepared herself for the delicious feeling of his cock sliding into her tight sheath. And she was not disappointed as powered through her clasping walls until he was seated all the way in. She let out a harrowing cry when he pulled back and thrust back in harder than the first time.

The push and pull of his shaft made her core clench around him so tight that he could barely escape only to be sucked right back in. His head dropped to her back and moaned in her ear over and over again. She would have fallen when his fingers moved to her clit had he not been holding her up. This was mating at its most primal and it was characterized by the slapping of wet skin and the growls and groans, sounds that can only be made by two people finding ultimate pleasure in each other's arms. Her hands slipped another notch down the wet tiled wall when he tugged on her stiff nipple and thrust in especially hard.

"Don't stop," she whimpered breathlessly, "Oh, god…please don't stop."

He pulled out and she could've screamed at the separation. But when he turned her around and lifted her up and pushing her back against the wall, his motives were made clear. He slipped back in and it was like he never left. She tightened her muscles around him, keeping him locked in place and worked her hips sinuously against him. He licked up the side of her neck, knowing that it was her spot, then took her mouth in a kiss that had her toes curling into the flesh of his ass. Her nails dug themselves into his back as he took her against the shower wall, swallowing any sound she could've hoped to make.

She clutched him closer, feeling her orgasm rising from the depths of her soul and wanted, no needed, him to go over the edge with her. And with one more thrust, he did, a screech bubbling forth and she was honestly surprised that she didn't hear a boom from breaking the sound barrier. His face found its way into her wet hair as he shuddered through his own release. When the quivering stopped, he set her down on her feet but still kept her close.

"Hi," and in that moment, it expressed more than just a greeting. It was I love you a million times over, it was I can't live without you, I can't breathe without you, I don't exist without you. It was everything.

And what else could she do but return the sentiments in the exact same way? "Hi.."

* * *

**AN: So what did you think? How cute was Olivia in her preparation for Fitz, tripping all over herself to get to the phone. How many of you have had that moment? Where do you think their relationship is going from here? How will Olivia deal with her insecurities, especially with the type of work Fitz does. And how do you think Mellie will react to the happy couple? Let me know the answer to these questions or any thoughts you may have in a review below. **


	10. Let's make up

**Disclaimer: I don't own Scandal**

**AN: Hello again. Wow, I managed to get out updates out for both my stories in the same week. I'm proud of myself, lol. Anyways, this chapter is a long one so I'll just leave you to it. Happy reading ;)**

* * *

"Is this real?" Olivia whispered to herself as she stared at Fitz in the dark.

After the shower, they moved to her bed, exploring each other's bodies until exhaustion took over. She propped her head on her hand, her elbow bent and supporting most of the weight, and looked down at his sleeping form. She traced patterns with her fingertips against his chest and down his abs before making the trip back up again. Her eyes had long gotten accustomed to the dark and she could see the little details in his face that she wanted to engrain in her memory forever. She noticed how his nose would twitch slightly when she got close to his belly button and how his lips would curve in a subconscious smile when she sighed his name.

She never thought that she would be in this place. The place where she was so in love that she could literally watch him sleep and be satisfied. She had never felt this way for anyone else. Before Jake there was Edison in the seventh grade and that relationship was nothing more than the title of having a boyfriend. She couldn't even remember ever holding his hand, their time together mainly consisted of him cheating off of her in class and her cutting him in the lunch line. It was a mutual agreement that they both cherished until Brittany Patterson sprouted boobs and all the guys chased after her, including Edison. It was no skin off her teeth though and for the rest of her school days she focused on her studies, acing every test and joining every club she could in aspirations of attending the best college in the nation. Boys took a backseat, nothing that really bothered her, and then she met Jake.

Looking back at it, she could honestly say that at some point she truly loved Jake and thought that he was it for her. That time had long passed, however, and the feelings she had for him looked dismal and bleak in comparison to what she felt for Fitz. He was her sun, her moon, and her oxygen and she was the same to him. Whatever happened next, one thing was for certain; they were in this together. Knowing that made going all in a lot less scary and she was ready to see what the future would hold for them.

She laid her head back on his chest, her arm going around his waist, and wedged her leg between his. She brought the sheet up over them and snuggled in closer, feeling the most content she'd ever felt in her life.

"It's real," she heard him murmur and she finally drifted off to sleep, for the first time in weeks not afraid that when she awoke, he wouldn't be there like he had been in her dreams.

* * *

The next morning, Olivia was digging through her drawers for a pair of scrubs while Fitz occupied her shower. They were both working today and she had been a little upset that their morning was going to have to be cut short with him going home to get ready. But Fitz informed her that he always had an extra pair of scrubs in his car and that they'd still have some time together before reality came crashing back in. Feeling in a great mood, she hit the play button on her iHome that sat atop her dresser and started jamming out.

"_When you're ready come and get it_," she sang at the top of her lungs, as she danced around her room.

She continued dancing as she pulled on her scrub bottoms, the lyrics to the song flowing from her lips as her mood increased tenfold. At one point, she even used the hairbrush as a microphone, watching herself in the mirror as she had done when she was fifteen. She was so engrossed in the song that she didn't hear Fitz come out of the bathroom. When she turned around, seeing him leaning casually against the doorframe, she screamed.

"You scared the hell out of me," she told him as she clutched her heart.

Instead of apologizing, he went over to her iHome to turn the music down she assumed, but instead, he turned it up and started singing. "_So baby whenever you're readdddyyy…when you're ready come and get it, na na na na…"_

She laughed, surprised that he even knew the teenybopper song and they proceeded to have the duet of a lifetime. They danced together, her hips swaying against his, musing that he was a bit more rhythmically gifted than her. He sang terribly off key, twirling her around and lifting her as if they were on So You Think You Can Dance. When the song ended, they laughed again, not being able to wipe the smiles off their faces, then went back to getting ready for the day.

Happy tunes continued to blare out of the speakers as they moved around each other, a tango that took some couples years to perfect but they just seemed to get it. When they were each dressed, Fitz suggested stopping off somewhere for breakfast, maybe even bringing something in for the rest of the doctors, and she agreed. Why not share their infectious mood?

They stopped at a local bakery that had the best bear claws that she had ever tasted and ordered enough to feed an army. While they waited for their order to be fulfilled, they took a seat at one of the small tables set up outside and held hands while people watching.

"So now what?" Olivia asked as she sipped the caramel frappe Fitz had bought her.

"What do you mean?" Fitz questioned, hoping that she wasn't going to over analyze the last twenty four hours.

"I mean, what happens between us now." Olivia, being Olivia, needed to know what to look forward to in the future.

"We date for a while, then we get married, then we have a couple dozen kids, I've always wanted my own soccer team…"

"A soccer team! And who do you think is going to push out a soccer team?" She interrupted his ridiculous musings, her hands flying up in disbelief.

"You of course. And I'm talking about back to back. As soon as you're out of the hospital with one, I want you already three months pregnant with the next. Of course with all of the kids, I expect you to stay home and be barefoot and pregnant," he tried to keep a straight face as he watched her incredulous expression.

"Are you serious right now?" Is this how men acted once they got what they wanted?

"No, I'm not serious," he laughed and breathed a sigh of relief. "Look, I have no idea what next week will hold. All I know is that I love you and I want to be with you for the rest of my life. Everything else will work itself out. Stop worrying so much." He gave her an easygoing smile and grabbed her hand to drive home the point.

"But there are some things that I need to know before we progress any further. Like do you want the whole kids, marriage, and dog ordeal, because I do and I don't want to waste my time if you don't," she said and removed her hand from his grasp.

"To be completely honest, before I met you, I never thought about it. My childhood wasn't ideal. Yes we had money and privilege, but my parents were shells. My dad wanted me to follow in his footsteps and my mom was too busy trying to impress her friends to really care. I never wanted a child of mine to grow up like that, me thinking bad parenting was inherited or something. But I want that now, I want to see our baby grow inside you. I want to be there for the cuts and scrapes and have the shotgun ready for any boys that dare tries to woo my little girl." He hadn't even realized that's want he wanted until she presented him with the possibility.

A bright smile spread across her face and knowing that they had the same future goals in mind, she could let go and live for today. Whatever happened tomorrow, she knew he'd be by her side and that's all that mattered. They continued chatting for a few more minutes until they heard their number called over the intercom and went to gather their sweets.

* * *

Walking into the ER was a weird experience with everyone knowing about their relationship and being open to comment on it. A few joked and asked why they couldn't wait a few more days so that they could win the bet to which Olivia and Fitz apologized for their burning need to be together. The entire staff was eternally grateful for the breakfast and promised to keep the relationship jokes to a minimum. Mellie, on the other hand, was brooding silently as she watched Fitz and Olivia flirt between patients.

Going into the on call room towards the end of her shift, Olivia only needed a few things out of her locker before she headed home. She heard the door click behind her and for a brief second, thought that it was Fitz trying to cop a feel while no one was looking. But she didn't get that feeling she got when he was near, instead she was filled with a sense of dread that only came with one person. Mellie.

"Hello, Olivia," Mellie greeted but somehow managed to make the simple words sound like an insult.

"Mellie," Olivia responded through clenched teeth as she turned to leave.

"So, you and Dr. Grant, huh? Didn't see that one coming," she chuckled with a slight shake of her head as if she were in complete disbelief.

"Yes, Fitz and I are together, not that it's really any of your business," Olivia sneered and once again tried to leave. But again, Mellie stopped her with her comments.

"It's a shame that you really think he's who he says he is," Mellie said as if she had the upper hand.

Olivia already knew by the tone of her voice that she somehow found out that Fitz was a stripper on the side. Olivia had to fight not to laugh at Mellie's 'secret'. If that's all she had, then she could bring it on.

"Oh really, and exactly what don't I know about him," she asked even though she already knew what she was going to say.

"Don't you ever get suspicious as to why he always has so many one dollar bills?" Mellie asked in round-a-bout kind of way.

"No. Should I be?" Olivia responded, crossing her arms and arching her brow.

"I would be curious as to where he gets them from and what he does to get so many," Mellie said as if she were laying all the pieces out and all Olivia had to do was put the puzzle together.

Tired of the back and forth, Olivia decided to go straight for the kill. "Are you trying to imply that my boyfriend is a stripper?"

"Well, if the g-string fits," she replied with a shrug of her shoulders.

Olivia went in to a near hysterical laugh which she had tried to suppress throughout the entire conversation, but seeing Mellie's face as she made her big 'revelation', as if Olivia was supposed to crumble under the news, sent her into a laughing fit.

"What is so funny? It's true, I saw him myself and thought I'd be a good friend and let you know. If you don't believe me, why don't you take a trip down to the Naught Kitten," Mellie huffed and Olivia could almost hear the childish 'so there' at the end of the sentence.

Sobering, Olivia wiped the tear from the corner of her eye, took a settling breath, then spoke. "Three: you and I aren't, and nor will we ever be, friends. Two: where do you think Fitz and I met? I know what he does so this little conversation was pointless. And one," she paused to get so close to Mellie's face she could almost feel the other woman's breath, "if you ever feel the need to butt into my relationship again, do yourself a favor and don't. I don't ever need your help and I especially don't need it when it comes to Fitz. You lost. He doesn't want you. Get over it." And with that, she left Mellie to stew in her own anger.

But before she could close the door, she heard Mellie's one last dig. "How long do you think it will be before he cheats with one of those girls shoving bills into his pants? I mean, he picked you up there, what's to stop him from doing the same thing with some random person?"

And as much as Olivia hated to admit it, that hit a nerve.

* * *

As fate would have it, Fitz and Olivia pretty much had the same schedule today, so as he glanced at his watch and saw it was near quitting time, Fitz was excited for what the rest of the evening held for them. He was just about to go see if Olivia was ready when Cyrus came up to him and told him that he needed word before he left. Agreeing, he followed him into his small, but efficient office.

"Dr. Grant, do you have any idea why I called you in here?" Cyrus began.

"No, Dr. Beene, I can't say that I do. I think my performance has been more than adequate, I haven't had any complaints from the patients and I get along with almost all of my coworkers," he pointed out, going down the list of possibly mishaps.

"You're right, your performance has been stellar. It's that last thing you mentioned that I have a problem with," Cyrus said, leaning forward on his desk.

"Excuse me?" Fitz asked, completely confused.

"I'm referring to your relationship with Dr. Pope," he filled in.

"What about my relationship with Dr. Pope." Fitz had no idea why they were even having this conversation. Yes, Cyrus was his superior but that gave him no right to dictate his love life.

"Look, this is not Grey's Anatomy or House or even that stupid show Scrubs. This is real life and I don't need you sneaking off with your girlfriend while we have patients that need care," Cyrus told him with finality in his tone.

"We never let our relationship affect our work. You just said my performance was great and we both know that Olivia is the best doctor on the floor, so again I ask, what is the problem?" Fitz said this in the most respectful tone he could muster.

"That is correct, but we both know what happens with women in love. They lose focus and any problems in the relationship they bring it to work, and since you work here and are in the relationship, if you have problems, it will be a double whammy. We don't need this place filled with tension every time you two have a tiff. Just look at how the last three weeks went when she wasn't giving you the time of day."

"Did my work suffer," Fitz asked simply.

"No, but…"

"Did her work suffer?"

"I don't think it ever does, but…" he again tried to negate the remark he just made.

"Did anyone else's work suffer? Did any patients complain about tension or something," Fitz questioned, very close to making his point.

"Again no, but…"

"Okay, then until that happens, I would very much appreciate it if you stayed out of our relationship Dr. Beene. Olivia and I are professionals and know that the patient comes first. Now if you'll excuse me, my shift is over and I'd like to spend the rest of my evening with my girlfriend." And with that, he stood up, pushed his chair in, and exited the office in search of Olivia.

When he reached his car, Olivia was already leaning against, smiling at him as he came towards her. He unlocked the doors, going around to the passenger side to open hers and kissed her before she ducked inside. They both buckled up and Fitz pulled off.

"Do you want to go to dinner tonight?" Fitz asked as he drove towards her apartments.

"Sure, I'm not really in the mood to cook and I'm always up for spending time with you," she said, excited at the thought of both food and a date.

"Okay, I'll drop you off, go home and change, and meet you back at your place and we can decide where we wanna go," he told her.

"Sounds like a plan."

* * *

An hour later, she was back in the passenger seat of Fitz's car, this time instead of in scrubs, she was in a black leather box pleat skirt, a sheer white blouse, and red pumps. She accented her outfit with red and silver jewelry and when Fitz saw her, he tried to convince her that they should forgo dinner and go straight to _dessert._ Not that she could blame him. She was having a similar reaction seeing him in his navy blue button down and black chinos that hugged his ass perfectly. But she was starving, both for him and food, and figured that if she sated the latter first, she'd have more energy for the former.

Both having a hankering for pasta, they decided on an Italian restaurant not too far away from Olivia's apartment. The atmosphere in the space was romantic with dimmed lights and lit candles on every table. The seats were close together, forcing each patron to have to converse with their dining partner, not that they minded.

"Guess what happened to me today," Olivia began once the waiter left with their orders.

"Can't be crazier than what happened to me, but you go first," Fitz said, eager to see if her story could compare to his.

"So I was getting my stuff, about to head off, when Mellie practically corners me in the on call room. And do you know what she had the nerve to do? She hinted at you being a stripper and that I should be suspicious of you," Olivia scoffed.

"I knew that she'd say something eventually," Fitz responded, not at all surprised by her actions.

"Wait, you mean that you knew that she knew?" Olivia asked, feeling completely left out of the loop.

"Yeah, one of her friends was having bachelorette party and she happened to be there," Fitz replied nonchalantly.

"Why didn't you say anything?" Olivia didn't know if she was irritated or hurt that he kept that from her.

"Because I didn't think it was a big deal and honestly didn't think about it much after I saw her," he answered honestly.

"Well did you give her a lap dance or something?" Olivia questioned, not knowing how she'd respond if he said yes.

"No, but you do know that that is part of my job, right?" He didn't think that him being a dancer would affect their relationship seeing as how it's how their relationship began. She knew from the beginning what the deal was.

"Duh, Fitz. That's not the point. I just don't want your side job affecting my everyday life. What you do there stays there. I don't want Mellie bragging about the moves you put on her," she sighed.

"Believe me, there isn't enough money in the world to make me give Mellie a lap dance. She'd probably freeze my balls off," he joked, getting Olivia to crack a slight smile, "and besides, the only person I put real moves on is you, ok?"

"Ok, I'm sorry, I just, I don't like other people touching what's mine," she said saucily, rolling her neck and everything.

Fitz threw his head back and laughed at her attempt to be a diva. He didn't think that he could love her anymore in that moment and as he heard her laugh too, he was lulled with a false sense of security that she would let the subject of him stripping go.

"Ok, so do you want to hear about my conversation with Dr. Beene," he segued into a new topic.

"You and Dr. Beene had a conversation? Oh I must hear about this."

"So he called me into his office and was like, Dr. Grant," he imitated the older man's voice and mannerisms to a tee, "I don't want you and Dr. Pope's personal relationship to affect your work."

"And what did you say," Olivia asked, confused as to why Dr. Beene would even care.

"That it hasn't thus far and won't in the future and that he should keep his comments to himself," he told her.

"Sounds similar to what I said to Mel..."before she could finish her sentence, she was cut off by a high pitched squeal.

"Oh my God! Oh my God! It's you," a tall, pretty brunette woman yelled pointing at Fitz. "It's President Shaft," she said excitedly, referring to Fitz's stage name, a pun on President Taft.

He didn't even recognize the woman, but by the look on Olivia's face, it didn't matter. He was guilty, though of what he didn't know. Having just had a conversation about his work life, he knew it was going take more than a crude joke to get her to come around this time.

"Can I just say, I love your show. Me and my girls have been trying to book you for a home party for months but you're booked solid. Here, how about I give you my number and you can bump us up on the list," she said, completely disregarding Olivia as she dug through her purse for a pen. Grabbing a napkin from the table, making sure to brush her chest against his arm in the process, she wrote down her digits, kissed it, then handed it to him and winked before walking off.

"Are you kidding me," Olivia stated rhetorically.

"I have no control over getting recognized in public," he tried to defend himself.

"You could've spoke up though. You let her fawn all over you and not once did you acknowledge my presence." She was mad and wasn't going to hide it.

"It all happened in the span of two minutes. I couldn't get a word in edgewise. It's not as if I'm going to actually call her," he tried to dissuade any such notion that he had any intentions of seeking out other women.

"And what the hell was she talking about home parties?" She said and he had hoped that she missed that bit of information.

"On occasion, me and some of the guys do parties," he admitted.

"On occasion, she said you were booked solid," she fumed. "I've completely lost my appetite, take me home." Getting up, she threw her napkin on the table and stormed out.

"Olivia…"he called after her as he quickly caught up.

She didn't slow her steps, however, and damn near power walked all the way to the car. How she did that in heels, especially ones that tall, was an anomaly to him, but that wasn't the issue at hand right now. He had to get her to see that he wasn't _that guy_, the one that cheated, and that he was fully committed to her. She tapped her foot impatiently as she waited for him to unlock the door, arms crossed and eyes looking anywhere but him.

The ride home was awkward and he was practically choking on the tension that filled the small space. She stared out the window the entire time, the only time she uncrossed her arms was to buckle her seatbelt, but as soon as she was securely in place, back they went. He would steal peeks at her to assess the damage and knew that it did not look good.

"Goodnight, Fitz," she dismissed when they pulled up outside her building and he knew that he wasn't invited in. Well to hell with that.

He got out the car right along with her and followed closely behind so that she didn't have any opportunities to slam any doors in his face. The elevator ride was just as awkward as the car ride and she continuously huffed and tapped her foot to let him know that his presence wasn't welcomed or appreciated. But she'd just have to deal with her attitude because he knew that if he let her go home alone, she'd just think of something that would make her doubt him.

"I'm not in the mood to deal with you tonight Fitz," she told him as they stood outside of her apartment.

"Just talk to me," he pled.

"Maybe tomorrow," she replied in a noncommittal tone as she unlocked her door and opened it only a sliver as she tried to squeeze through the slight crack because she knew if it was open any more, he'd muscle his way in. Too late. He stuck his foot out, preventing her from fully shutting the door, and not wanting to hurt him by slamming the door, she threw her hands up and stalked off towards the kitchen.

He followed behind her and watched as she rummaged through her cabinets for a glass, a corkscrew, and her prized bottle of red wine. She slammed each of the contents down, not letting up on her drama queen act. As he examined her harsh movements, he knew exactly how he was going to fix this. Even if it was a temporary solution.

Olivia could feel the heat radiating off his body from two feet away and she instantly tried to raise her defenses up higher. But he kept getting closer, breaking down her walls brick by brick. When he was standing right behind her, he moved her hair from her neck, skimming his lips along her flesh so light that it felt like butterfly kisses. Goosebumps arose and she could feel her palms start to sweat. Damn him.

"Look at me," he said so low that she almost didn't hear him, "Livi…"he paused to nip her earlobe, "look at me."

His voice was so deep, so rich in her ear, that she couldn't help but do what he asked and turn around. The liquid pools of his gray orbs drew her in, stealing her breath and would've stolen her heart, too, if he didn't already have it. He pressed closer until his entire front was lined up against hers. She could feel every contour of his body against hers and she fit perfectly. He leaned in, his mouth so close to hers that all she had to do was tilt her chin up the slightest bit and they would've connected.

She cursed her body for wanting him, for needing his touch. She tried to hold off when he kissed her, his tongue licking at the seam of her lips requesting entrance. She held as still as possible when his hands went to her hips even as her nipples tightened and her pussy dripped. She started to pant when his thick cock met the juncture of her thighs and he used that opportunity to slip his tongue into her mouth.

Her lips clung to his, her tongue exploring the wet cavern of his mouth as she gave up the pretense of not wanting him. For a nanosecond she wondered how she could be so mad at him yet crave him the way she did, but all rational thought flew out the window when he tugged the stiff peak of her breast between his thumb and forefinger. Pleasure zinged straight to her molten core making her dizzy with lust. His hand found its way under her skirt and he began to rub circles so tantalizingly slow over her clit that it had her whimpering.

"Tell me you know I'd never purposefully hurt you," he whispered softly, neither one of his hands letting up. "Tell me you believe me when I say that I love you."

"I…"she tried to form the words, really she did, but it was nearly impossible when he slipped two fingers inside of her.

"I only want you," he breathed into her ear, "I only want you."

She believed him. She only wanted him, too. Only needed him, the proof of it coating his hand. His fingers continued to drive her to the brink and she was sure that her bottom lip was going to have permanent marks as her teeth sung deeper into it. He kissed her again in a kiss so hot it had her trying to shed her clothes. She rolled her hips into his questing digits, reaching for that pinnacle in the best way she knew how.

"I need to be inside you," his rough voice licked up her spine, making her desire spike to levels uncharted.

He pulled her down to the hardwood floor beneath their feet and immediately went between her thighs. His erection was pressing painfully against his zipper, aching to be freed so that it could pair with its mate. She assisted him by pulling up her skirt as he pulled down his zipper. He made eye contact with her, making sure she could see into the depths of his soul as he pushed inside of her. She let out a long moan as he continued to slide deeper into her tight sheath. The tip of his cock scraped against every nerve she was blessed with, making the insides of her thighs tremble. He reared back, keeping eye contact as he thrust back in in the sweetest of ways.

"Mmmmm…deeper," she groaned, needing to feel the full extent of his love.

He grasped her leg and slung it over his shoulder, changing the angle so that she could feel him buried in her quivering belly. He kept going, increasing her pleasure and his with each plunge into her clutching grips. When she didn't think that she could feel any more, he pushed up her shirt, unclasped her bra, and drew her nipple into his mouth. She cried out, her back involuntarily arching her breasts further into his lips. She ground against him harder, moaned louder, and burrowed her nails in further as he fucked her.

Her orgasm was right there, so close that she could feel it inching ever closer. He wiggled a hand between them and started rubbing furiously at her sex, completely shattering her entire being as she screamed his name and came so hard she feared she'd pass out. He kept driving as if on a mission and before she was ready, she came again, her still sensitive box nearly choking the life out of his cock as she clenched around him over and over.

"Fitz…please…"she begged for mercy but he only pushed harder, took her stronger.

He had her wound so tight that tears sprung to the corners of her closed lids, her eyes rolling so far back she swore she could see her brain. Her body was on fire with sensations and every thrust was soon punctuated with words. "Only you," he would murmur, "I only want you," he repeated until the very idea of him even looking another way became ludicrous.

Then he made that sound in the back of his throat that he always made when he was close. It was the sexiest thing in the world to her. He would get in as deep as possible, continuing to make that sound that made her toes curl, then he would still and groan her name as he came and it never failed to bring her over the edge with him. And this time was no different as he dragged her into her most intense orgasm yet, her vocal chords strangling out a groan as she shuddered and writhed beneath him on her kitchen floor.

* * *

"You know that you won't always be able to get away with that. One day I will build up an immunity to your seductive ways," Olivia said as she lay sweaty and spent on his chest.

When the blood and feeling returned to their limbs, they moved to her bed where he worshiped her body from head to toe. He almost broke her with his stamina, but she kept up with him through every orgasm he gifted her with.

"I hope you never become immune to me," he told her, completely serious.

"I probably won't. But I'm serious, when I'm mad, sometimes I need space to think things over," she explained though she was in no way complaining to his solution to resolving arguments.

"I understand that, but I also know that I need to pick my battles and I knew that this was one that I couldn't let you brew over. That smart brain of yours would've sat and thought all night about the cons to our relationship, completely negating the pros and I would've gone another three weeks without you. I can't do that again."

She knew that he was right. She would've sat and sabotaged them before they ever truly got started. "You're right and I'm sorry. I know that you love and I love you, too. It's just the thought of someone else touching you drives me crazy," she tried to reason.

"I get it, I would feel the same way if the situations were reversed. Do you want me to quit my job?" he asked, willing to do anything to make her happy.

"No. Well maybe the home parties," she half joked. " I know that you need the money. I'll be fine. I mean, it'll be hard, but I'll be fine," she said, truly meaning it.

"It's only temporary. I've made a lot of progress in my debt, maybe another year and a half and I'll be free," he promised.

The topic of his debt and the reason he was in it made her remember that she wanted to bring something up to him. "Fitz, I want to talk to you about something so hear me out first and try not to get mad, but I think that maybe it's time you reconnect with your family."

"Olivia," he sighed and she knew that she was treading in very dangerous waters.

"I just don't want something to happen to one of them and you regret it. There are a million things I wish I could've told my father and I don't want you to wish you mended fences when it's too late." She knew all too well what the sting of a loss could do and while she had a good relationship with her father, there were still things left unsaid. "Just think about it," she added, taking the pressure off.

"If I promise to think about it, will you promise to let me do this in my own time," he bargained.

"I promise…"

"Okay, then I'll think about it but I'm not making any guarantees," he said then yawned.

"That's all I'm asking. Anyways, you wore me out. I need sleep," she responded, echoing his yawn.

"Livi…"

"Hmmm," she sounded, barely able to keep her eyelids open.

"I love you," he breathed, making a sleepy grin spread across her face.

"I love you, too, Fitz.."

* * *

**AN: So a lot happened in this chapter. It started off so nice with them singing and dancing to Selena Gomez's Come and Get it (my summer tune). Then Mellie came and ruined it all. If you notice, Olivia talks a big game but when faced with the issue at hand (at least those Fitz related) she fumbles, much like her character on the show. It can be a tad annoying but I tried to write her as true to her character as possible. Do you think that Mellie had a point with her last comment about Fitz eventually cheating? And then there was Cyrus. I missed him so I decided to give him a little air time and just like his cannon, he's against their relationship for 'work' reasons. We may or may not delve deeper into his character. Also, do you think he brought up valid points of women not being able to leave stuff at home? Do you let your problems affect your everyday life? I, for one, will brood over an issue all day no matter where I'm at. Anyways, so Olivia does have problems with Fitz's job, but she's trying to overcome them. And if she has an issue again, I know Fitz knows just how to handle her. And lastly, do you think Fitz should reach out to the family that disowned him for following his own path? Whew, that was a lot. Let me know all the answers in a review below. **

**P.S: Quick question, and I encourage everyone to answer, but does anyone else notice that Fitz is the only one that calls Olivia Livi on the show or is it just me? I've certainly made it that way in all of my stories, even to the point where I rarely refer to her as anything other than Olivia outside of dialogue. Just wondering if anyone else noticed that or if I'm crazy.**


	11. The Pride and the Prejudice

**Disclaimer: I don't own Scandal**

**An: Hey guys! Long time, no write, I know. Sorry, lol. But anyways, when we left off, Fitz and Olivia were hashing out the problems of their relationship. They made some headway, but you know Olivia, she always has to fix, so let's see what happens in this chapter. Also I'll try to update Until You sometime this week as well. And to LoreneMichelle41, you are soooooo welcome and I appreciate you taking the time out of your life to read and review my story, I always look forward to hearing from you. Big thank you to all my other faithful readers and reviewers, I wouldn't be writing this story if it weren't for you guys. **

* * *

"So, wait, he does little home shows and you didn't make him quit right then and there?" Abby asked as they sat in the massager chairs with their feet soaking in the bubbling water below.

"What was I supposed to say, 'quit your job and figure something else out for your debt'. He'd resent me. Plus, I want him to quit on his own, not because I asked him to do it," Olivia said, sinking further into the vibrating chair in attempts to relax.

"Why don't you pay for the debt?" Abby suggested as if it were the most natural conclusion in the world.

"What do you mean I should pay of his loans?" If she were being honest with herself, Olivia would admit that she had only fleetingly considered that option.

"I mean, you paid for Jake's debt, why not Fitz's? Your dad left you a sizeable inheritance, I'm sure you could cover it," Abby said nonchalantly.

"That was a completely different situation; Jake's life was on the line. Not to mention that he was my husband and I was with him for seven years. Plus he's paying me back," she defended.

"Okay, but your relationship is on the line. Are you really gonna let something as trivial as time and titles affect your chance at happily ever after. You love him right?" Abby paused to find out the answer to that.

"Of course I love him," Olivia responded immediately and with conviction.

"Well you help people you love out of tough situations. Think of it as an investment in your future together," Abby tried to reason.

"And if we don't work out?" As much as she hated the thought of that ever happening, she had to be honest with herself. She knew Fitz for all of three months. Do you give someone that you've known for that short of a time a large sum of money?

"That's a chance you're just gonna have to take and by you taking that chance, it proves to him that you're all in," Abby said.

"Who says that I'm not all in?" Olivia was getting a little irritated with having to defend herself and her relationship against her best friend.

"You prove it with your actions. You just said that it might not work out, that doesn't sound like all in to me," Abby told her.

"So I have to prove my love for him with money? That's not love Abby, that's just showing how much I don't trust him to get himself out of his own mess and to not cheat while doing it," Olivia said, pretty much over the entire conversation.

Abby was quiet for a few moments, thinking over everything Olivia just said and then finally spoke. "You know what, I didn't think about the trust thing. You may have a point. Well, what if you just help him with the payments? That way he can stop doing the home parties, not have to be at the club as much, you prove to him that you're all in and that you still trust him to work there and not fool around," Abby laid out all the pros to the plan and Olivia really couldn't think of any cons.

"That may just work," she agreed after pondering it for long moments. "Now let's drop this stressful topic, we're supposed to be relaxing today. How about you tell me what going on with you and Stephen?" Olivia changed the topic.

Abby got a silly grin on her face that only came when a woman was either in love or in deep, deep like. "Things are going great. We've pretty much been inseparable since your wedding. I don't know what took us so long to finally realize that we had a thing for each other," Abby said, the smile still on her face.

Stephen was a good friend of both Olivia and Jake from college. He'd been one of Jake's groomsmen and during her wedding reception, he and Abby finally did what everyone had been pushing them to do; hook up. Olivia could see the chemistry between them from them a mile away but neither was single at the time or both would deny what everyone else could clearly see.

"Well, I'm very happy for you guys. Maybe we can double date sometime," Olivia suggested.

"That'd be great. Stephen's always going on about needing more guy friends. I'll ask him about it and see what he says," she said just as the pedicurists came back with all the tools to make their feet smooth and pretty.

"You know I'm only so involved with your relationship because I want you to be happy right?" Abby asked as her toenails got painted a powder pink.

"I know…"

* * *

Olivia and Fitz sat cuddled up on his couch as the ending credits to a movie rolled on the screen. They hadn't seen each other for a few days, neither scheduled to work at the same time at the hospital -no doubt because of Cyrus- and Fitz was always working at the Naughty Kitten at night. While they had kept in contact with texts and short phone calls, it hadn't been the same. Tonight was the first time they each had a free moment and the obvious choice was to spend it together. The distance between only seemed to cement her earlier conversation with Abby.

"That was a pretty good movie. I didn't think I'd ever be the boyfriend to watch chick flicks with his girl," Fitz said as he stretched his long limbs.

"You were more into it than me. You even cried at the end when they died. I cannot believe you never saw _The Notebook,_" she mused as she moved to grab the remote.

"I'm a dude, dudes don't watch The Notebook. And I wasn't crying, there was something in my eye," he lied and got up to put the empty popcorn bowl in the kitchen.

"Sure there was. It's called tears," she teased as she followed him with empty wine glasses.

"Alright, I cried. But can you blame me? She remembered him and he didn't even have to read to her the last time. Then they died together and turned into birds, if you don't cry then you have to be the most cold hearted person alive," he said and she could almost see new tears forming as he thought about the ending.

"I'm happy you're in touch with your feminine side, baby," Olivia said around a laugh.

"Well, I'm just happy to be spending some time with you, no matter how many sappy movies you make me watch," he smiled then took her in his arms.

"Me, too," she agreed then reached up on her tippy toes to press her lips to his.

He kissed her long and hard, almost to the point of distraction, but she really wanted to bring up the money issue before they went any further. She just hoped that he'd receive it well and they could enjoy the rest of their evening. He started tugging at her shirt and she knew she'd have to pull away now or she'd be a lost cause.

"Fitz, I need to talk to you about something first," she said, still breathless from his kisses.

"Right now?" he groaned and pressed his hips into hers.

Olivia let out a moan and nearly gave in when his lips pressed in to her neck. If she didn't talk now her thoughts would be all jumbled later. She needed to get this out and fast because if he touched her again, she'd be his.

"Yes now," she sighed and pushed him away, both of them looking disappointed at the loss of physical connection.

"Okay, this sounds serious," he realized.

He positioned himself against the counter on the other side of the kitchen, no doubt to ward off temptation and she appreciated the effort. She gathered her wits, trying to figure out how to begin and not sound like the crazy controlling girlfriend. She decided to start off with tonight.

"I really liked that we got to spend time together tonight, I missed you all week," she began.

"I missed you, too. And I know our schedules are crazy right now, but I'm sure we can make something work," he promised, sounding optimistic.

"That's actually what I wanted to talk to you about. I think I have a solution to our current issues," she said and paused to gage his reaction. He seemed like he was all for whatever she was going to suggest. Good.

"Okay, shoot," he told her, crossing his arms.

"What if I helped you pay off your debt," she said all in one breath, just anxious to get it out into the universe.

"What?" That wasn't the reaction she was hoping for. He almost seemed angry.

"Think about it, I would help with the monthly payments, you can stop home shows and cut down on your work hours and we can spend more time together. It's a win win." She left out the part of her feeling better about him not constantly dancing for other women.

He was silent for a long while, slowly shaking his head from left to right as if she just didn't get it. What _it_ was was beyond her. She thought that it was a great idea and that he'd jump at the opportunity to be debt free. She knew that he didn't particularly like his side job and just wanted to be done with it, so what was the hold up? As she had said, it was a win win. Or at least she thought it was.

Finally he spoke. "I can't accept your money," was all he said, not giving an explanation as to why not.

Well, she wasn't going to settle for that answer. "Care to explain?"

Wiping his hands down his face, he sighed then finally looked at her. "This is something that I need to do on my own."

"Why if I'm offering to help?" Olivia was totally confused, the night that started off so promising going straight to hell.

"When my parents disowned me, I was on my own. It was just me. No one offered to help and I had to figure out how to take care of myself after I've had everything handed to me my entire life. This is something that I need to do on my own so that I can prove to myself and my parents that I'm capable of doing it," he explained.

She hadn't even considered the most important factor in this. His pride. He rarely talked about the years it was just him and when he did, it was in short, clipped sentences as if he didn't want to rehash the past. Not that she could blame him. But it wasn't just him anymore and if she had her way, he'd never be alone again. As much as he needed her to accept his presence in her life on a permanent basis, she just realized that he needed to do the same. And letting her help was the first step.

"Baby, I know that you can do this on your own, but you don't have to. And as for your parents, why are you trying to stick it to people that you refuse to even acknowledge?" She could tell by the look on his face that that wasn't the right thing to say.

"That's not the point. I have something to prove and I don't need you and your money fixing it for me. I appreciate the offer, but it wasn't necessary. I'm my own man and will fix it myself. The only thing I need from you is your love and support," he said then turned to walk away.

Before he could exit the kitchen, she stopped him, wrapping her arms around his waist and after a few minutes, he returned the hug. "You have my love and support, Fitz. I was just trying to offer a solution to the main problem in our relationship."

"Again I appreciate it, but Livi, if you think me stripping is our biggest problem, you're wrong. It's trust. You don't fully trust me not to cheat and I don't trust you not to leave," he told her and she knew that he was right.

"But I know that I won't leave and you know that you won't cheat. So how do we make each other see that?" she asked as snuggled closer into his chest.

"Time is my only answer. We've only been together for three months. On and off at that. While we know that we love each other and want to be together, we are still in the getting to know each other/honeymoon faze. As time passes, you'll learn that I am worthy of your trust and you are worthy of mine," he reasoned.

"Okay," she said, liking the idea of time. It meant that they were in it for the long haul. She'd prove herself to him and he'd do the same.

Instead of shaking on their newly formed deal, he leaned down closer to her height, he took her lips in his, indecently palming her ass and bringing her body flush against his. He could feel her melt into his touch, her mouth opening wide to allow his tongue to delve in deep. She moaned low in her throat, grinding against him in a near frenzy. Just one kiss set them on fire and right before he swept her up to carry to his bedroom, she put her palms flat against his chest and pushed away. Completely confused, he stared down at her.

"Just one more thing," she said huskily, peppering kisses to his chin.

He groaned in lieu of responding and waited for her to say what she needed to say so that they could get to the good part. "Abby and I think it would be a good idea to have a double date."

He knew exactly why she chose to have this conversation now. Normally he'd refuse since Abby wasn't his number one fan, one, and two, her boyfriend Stephen was Jake's best friend. But with all the blood rushing to his little head, and the possibility of her denying him if he denied her, the only thing he could say was "Okay."

And with that out of the way, and before she could bring anything else up, he picked her up and carried her off to the bedroom.

* * *

"Are you sure that we can't back out?" Fitz asked again as he came up behind her in the mirror.

She looked stunning in her peach empire dress and he could think of a few different ways to be spending their evening. Ones that didn't include spending time with another couple that most likely didn't like him.

"Yes, I'm sure. We already made the reservations and it would be rude to cancel thirty minutes before we're supposed to leave," she said, turning around and smiling when she saw that he had left his tie undone.

He could tie it himself, they both knew that, but he knew that she liked doing it for him, something they'd discovered not too long ago. There was something so intimate about the act. Maybe it was because it was something a wife would do for a husband after years of marriage, maybe because while she did it, he stared at her like she hung the moon, or maybe it was because she could almost feel his pulse speed up, his heart beating faster for her and only her. Who knows, maybe it was as simple as she just got to be near him, got to be able to touch him, smell him, that made these moments special. Whatever the reason was, she loved doing it.

"Fitz, you'll be fine. For the most part, Abby and I will be in our own little world gossiping about our men and you and Stephen will be okay. Guys aren't like girls in this respect, as long as you like the same sports team, you can be friends no matter who you're affiliated with," she tried to ease his concerns.

"I hope you're right." He wanted her friends to like him, what boyfriend didn't? It just seemed like the chips were stacked against him. "Which team does like? Just in case," he asked.

"Well he's really into soccer. Like he goes nuts over it during the World Cup. Since he's Peruvian and Scottish, he's fine with either one of those teams," she told him. "Oh, and don't call it soccer in front of him, he hates it."

"Great, the one sport I know the least about is his favorite," he said and mentally stacked another chip against himself.

"Babe, it'll be fine, you'll see. It's not like you're meeting my parents," she said.

* * *

It was not fine.

When they first walked in, Abby and Stephen were already seated and looking over the menu. Fitz didn't think they were late but Abby informed them that they'd been waiting over fifteen minutes. Checking his watch, he saw that they were right on time, but oh well. Olivia apologized then greeted her friends, introducing him and Stephen. The other man barely even shook his hand.

"So this is the legendary Mac that Jake has told me all about," Stephen said, looking at Fitz as if he were underwhelmed.

Olivia knew that Jake had gone to Stephen with their relationship problems and out of loyalty for his friend, Stephen was already against Fitz. She just hoped that they could turn this around. Sitting, she grabbed Fitz's hand, squeezing it for reassurance , his and hers, then proceeded to look over her menu.

Fitz and Stephen were opposites in nearly every sense of the word. He was a lawyer like Jake, although he went in an alternate route and was a fixer of sorts, working with D.C's most esteemed politicians and cleaning up their shenanigans. Politics were the one thing Fitz stayed away from given his family history making that possible topic of discussion null and void. Stephen hated American football, Fitz's favorite sport, and didn't really know anything about medicine for them to talk about that.

"Well, this is awkward," Fitz mumbled under his breath as he drummed his fingers against the table.

Olivia and Abby tried to bring up common interests between them only for those topics to be resolved within two minutes because neither man knew what to say after the women left the conversation to return back to whatever they were talking about.

Finally after searching for nearly half the meal for a conversation, Fitz asked the golden question. "Did you see the fight this weekend?"

And just like that, they were the best of friends. Debating on who the best fighter of both this generation and generations past. Fitz was for Floyd Mayweather and Muhammad Ali and Stephen was a Mike Tyson and Manny Pacquiao fan. They jibbed either on their choices and went over records and boxing history to prove points that the two women beside them couldn't even hope to know. Abby and Olivia just continued talking about girl things, happy that the men in their lives were getting along.

"We're going to have to go see a fight together," Stephen said after they finally agreed to disagree.

"One is coming to town soon, I'll send you the details," Fitz said, pulling out his phone to do as such.

When the meal finally wrapped up, the men had found other topics they had in common like they both were engrossed in True Blood, neither cared for golf( ranting for nearly ten minutes on how it was the stupidest sport out there) and they had travelled to a lot of the same countries. Not wanting the evening to end, they decided to go dancing at a club not too far from the restaurant.

Drinks in hand, they laughed, danced, and talked the night away. Fitz and Olivia danced to an upbeat song while Stephen and Abby spun around them. They switched partners, Abby speaking over Fitz's shoulder to tell Stephen that he could use a few lessons from the other man.

"You're not that bad, Grant," Abby said as they moved to the beat.

"Neither are you, Whelan," Fitz responded, dipping her in a dramatic way.

"Even though I kinda sorta like you, if you hurt Olivia, I'll kill you," she promised, her tone and her red hair making her seem all the more cynical.

"I'll try my very best not to," he replied, not making a promise to never ever hurt her because that was nearly impossible in a relationship. What he could promise, however, was that he'd never intentionally do so.

"Good to know, because with the amount of favors that Stephen has racked up in his line of work, they'd never find your body," she said with a pat to his shoulder, leaving his arms to return to her boyfriend's.

The song changed to a slower one and Fitz pulled Olivia close as they started to sway. She laid her head on his chest, murmuring the words to the song as he nuzzled her neck. She'd never get tired of being surrounded by him.

"_Fall into my cascade, I'll make you weak with my waves…"_

She could feel him harden against her belly as she wound her hips in little circles. He groaned, his tongue peeking out to lick the spot on her neck that made her legs tremble. They were in their own little world, the only thing penetrating was the lyrics to the melodic tune that played in the background.

"_Swallow me deep, as my body weeps, leave no trace…" _

She wanted him. Bad. From the way his arms tightened around her waist, to the way he moved his lips over hers as he kissed her. She braided her fingers in his hair, keeping his mouth attached to hers as she poured her love into his kiss. His hips moved in cadence with hers, raising her need for him to unimaginable heights. Her nipples strained against his chest, each moment of friction causing her to moan as they practically made love on the dance floor.

"Take me home," she whispered in his ear, biting his lobe when she pulled away.

She looked into his grey eyes, nearly black with his desire for her, and she knew she mirrored his image. Taking her hand in his, he led her off the dance floor. She thought at the last second to tell Abby and Stephen that they were leaving but when she looked back, she could see that they were on the verge of leaving themselves, lip locked in a kiss nearly as steamy as her and Fitz's.

* * *

Fitz broke almost every single traffic law getting home. He kept her hand on her thigh the entire, dangerously close to where she ached for him the most, and she caught herself nearly begging him to touch her there. Finally they arrived at his apartment and the fact that he considered this her home too, touched her.

They stumbled through the door, mouths fused and hands groping body part they could get to. Knowing they weren't going to making it to the bedroom, he pulled her down into his recliner so that she was straddling him. Olivia raised her dress up her thighs and she nearly wept when she felt Fitz press his palm against her aching core. She ground against his hand, the need for him to delve inside her panties was dizzying.

"Please…" she whimpered against his lips. "Please, baby…"

She licked his bottom lip then bit it in the way she did when the need for him got too great for her to manage. Her hips were working up a frenzy against his hand and she knew he could feel how drenched she was through the thin material of her underwear. He finally added pressure. She was so close and he hadn't even made skin to skin contact. She moved her hand to the bulge that was nearly breaking his zipper and she heard him growl as she palmed him as intimately as he was touching her.

His fingers moved to the edge top of her panties, curling themselves into the waistband systematically. She felt them tear, the slight sound loud compared to their labored breathing in the otherwise silent room. His zipper squeaked as she finally relieved it of its duty and she reached in to get the part of him she craved most at the moment. He lifted her up, his hands a permanent fixture on her hipbones, and slowly dropped her down on his throbbing length.

She shuddered and came as soon as she had him buried to the hilt. With her had thrown back, she kept going, rising up and down and up and down. Her nails bit into the back of the leather of the chair as she held on for leverage. He leaned her back and tore the strap of her dress away from her shoulder. He bit into the flesh of her collarbone, moving towards the turgid peaks of her breast. He unfastened the front clasp and licked his lips before sucking her right breast deep into his mouth.

Her thighs were burning from her efforts but the burn in her muscles was nothing compared to the burn she carried deep into her soul for him. He abruptly shifted from the chair, picking her up and laying them on the floor, his shaft never leaving her heat as he did so.

"Oh god," she moaned as he plunged in so hard and deep she swore she could feel him all the way up to her ribs.

He kept going at that pace and her toes curled into themselves, her spine nearly snapping from how high she was arching her back. She was shaking, her hands barely able to get a good grip on his ass as she nonverbally urged him to continue. He hit her spot and all the shaking stopped. She went as stiff as a board as her climax rushed at her like a freight train. She screamed out his name over and over and he groaned hers as he followed her into oblivion.

Her chest rose and fell in high peaks and deep concaves as she tried to catch her breath. It was nearly impossible with Fitz dropping hot, opened mouth kisses to various parts of her body. She ran a still trembling hand through her hair, the simple motion zapping all of her energy and her arm fell limply to the side. She would be alarmed of not being able to feel her limbs had she not been used to this with him by now. Exhaustion was soon claiming them both and they fell asleep right there on the floor, still almost fully clothed and deeply sated.

* * *

A loud ringing was interrupting the blissful sleep Fitz was in and he soon realized it was coming from his phone. As he opened his eyes, he chuckled at the fact that he and Olivia were still on his living room floor. She was curled into his side and he knew she had to be uncomfortable from being on the hard wood. He lifted her up and put her on the couch, covering her with the blanket he kept nearby, before reaching into his pocket and getting his phone.

Without looking at the caller ID, he answered it. "Hello?" he said, his voice still scratchy from sleep.

"Fitzy…"

Only one person called in Fitzy on a regular basis, "Mom?"

* * *

**AN: So what did you think? Would you have offered your partner money to help out financially. If so, why? If not, why not? Personally, I think it depends on the how close we are in the relationship and how dire the situation is. Anyways, Fitz and Stephen met and it was rocky at first but they got along. Do you like the foursome dynamic? And also, who liked Abby and Stephen's almost relationship on the show and who likes her with David? I think my preference is obvious, lol. We got a little lovin', which wasn't planned but it was my way of apologizing for the delay. Am I forgiven? And lastly, Fitzy's(lol) mom called. What does she want? Let me know the answer to that and all my other questions below. Till next time.**

**P.S: and once again I encourage everyone to answer whether you regularly review or not, but a Guest review said something about Fitz loving Olivia more (not sure if they meant the show or my story) but I personally believe that he kinda does(at least he says it more) in both my stories and the show. However, while he says it more, does Olivia show it more with all her self sacrificing and through her actions such as the whole election rigging fiasco? Who loves who more? Is it equal? I don't think so, I think Fitz loves Olivia more and her self sacrificing is because she's afraid. Let me know what you think because I've been pondering this since season one and want to know how others feel.**

**The song was Ari Lennox's Cascade. Great song, check it out when you have the time.**


	12. Second Chances

**Disclaimer: I don't own Scandal. (one more week though! HOORRAAY)**

**AN: Hey guys! Thought I forgot about y'all didn't you. In truth, I almost did, but then I started getting reviews asking me about updates and I figured I should write something. (Btw: whoever offered me cookies, you're awesome, lol) Anyways, I've been really busy with college and all so I haven't really had time to myself let alone to write which means that I have no clue when the next update will be. I have written most of the update for Until you so be on the lookout for that maybe next weekend. **

* * *

"Fitzy…are you still there?" His mother called out to him through the receiver.

He hadn't heard from his mother in years. He barely remembered her voice. But what he did remember was how he stood by and watched as his father gave the ultimatum that caused a rift so great within his family that he was positive that some of his relatives thought he was dead. And all because he had chosen his own path in life. His father was a politician. A great one. He was the governor of California back in the early 90s, which helped with people today not recognizing the Fitzgerald Grant family name. Being the only son, his father had wanted him to continue the legacy and hopefully take it further. All the way to the White House.

Growing up, while some did little league and boy scouts, Fitz was forced onto debate teams and young gentlemen clubs that put people with the right pedigree and right amount of money on the face track to a prime political position. Fitz was exceptional and showed extreme promise. His father had never been prouder as he took on his opponents in debates and won class president in the top private school in the country. But little did his father know was that Fitz was unfulfilled, unsatisfied in the path that had been carved out for him since before he was even thought of. Upon taking a required health class, a whole other world was opened up to him and medicine become something that he started to really enjoy. He took as many science and health classes as he could in high school and when he got into his top choice of college, he'd been thrilled that he could take his 'hobby' to another level.

His father on the other hand was not. Many parents would be ecstatic that their child wanted to be a doctor but as soon as the words pre-med left Fitz's mouth, his father made it clear that he wasn't paying for his education and he was in no way going to support his dreams or goals. When Fitz called his bluff, he got a phone call from the university saying that payment on his tuition had been stopped. Luckily he had scholarships that covered the first half of the year, but after that he was completely on his own and he had to think fast. He applied for grants and more scholarships, but the coverage was partial and he was forced to take out loans. Medical school was extraordinarily expensive and with payment options not as extensive as in college he had no choice but to turn to federal loans to cover the cost.

Fast forward to today, the end of his payments was in site. His hard work during school paid off, often working two or three jobs just to survive. With becoming a physician, his schedule became more demanding and he needed something fast and flexible to make money on the side. Hence the stripping. He couldn't say he regretted it, he did get Olivia after all. But he was going to be happy when it was all behind him.

"Fitzy…the dial tone hasn't sounded and I can still hear you breathing," his mother spoke, still trying to get his attention.

"I'm here," he answered in a cold detached tone so that she knew just how much he didn't want to be having this conversation.

"How have you been?" She asked tentatively, like she was expecting him to blow up any second.

"Did you call after all this time for small talk? What do you want Evelyn?" He knew his calling her by her first name would hurt her.

"I…I've been keeping tabs on you all this time. I know the that you're in D.C and I found some time to get away and was wondering if you'd like to have lunch tomorrow," she said, her tone hopeful.

"Are you serious? I haven't spoken with you in years and out of the blue you want to have lunch like everything is fine. Do you need a kidney? Is your husband dying or something? What?" He couldn't believe this is what she called for.

"No, I don't need anything. Your father is fine. He doesn't…he doesn't know that I'm here. Please, Fitz, I just want to see you. You're my only child and despite what you think, I've missed you. I know I wasn't the best mother…"

"You weren't a mother at all. Not unless someone was around for you to brag about me to. Other than that, you ignored me," he cut her off, not letting her sugar coat her recollection of his childhood.

"Alright, I'll give you that. I let the nannies do my job, but that doesn't mean that I didn't love you. Please, will you just meet with me tomorrow?" she pleaded with him and something in her voice cracked his façade of indifference.

"Fine. One meeting is all I can give you. We can meet at a restaurant at twelve," he informed her as if it were an upcoming business meeting and not a reunion.

"Thank you," she said and he could hear tears in her voice.

Before she could say anything else, he hung up.

* * *

Later that morning, Fitz was still replaying the conversation when Olivia finally woke up and strolled into the kitchen where he was making breakfast. He was so distracted that he didn't even know she was there until she laid her head on his back and wrapped her arms around his waist. He jumped a little, but soon relaxed and turned so that he could fully embrace her. Leaning down, he captured her lips in a good morning kiss.

"Morning, baby," he murmured when they broke apart.

"Morning. Are you ok? You seem a little distracted," she noted, rubbing small circles on his back.

He let out a huge sigh, obviously indicating something was indeed amiss, and she instantly became worried. She hated seeing him like this and wanted to do anything to ease his troubles. She waited for him to tell her what was wrong, mentally guessing what it could be.

"My mother called this morning," he blurted then turned back to the stove where the eggs were cooking.

"Your mother? Is everything okay? Did something happen…is your father alright," she asked, hoping for the best but expecting the worst.

"Yes, the old man is still alive. She called because she wants to go to lunch tomorrow. Apparently she misses me and wants to talk," he said, not looking at her while he did.

He didn't have to be facing her though. She could hear in his voice how much he was taken aback by the extended olive branch. She could also tell that he was nervous to meet with the woman that gave birth to him. And as if reading his thoughts, she voiced, "You're afraid she'll get your hopes up and will turn her back again aren't you?"

"Do you know what it's like to be rejected by your parents, the people that are supposed to love you unconditionally? I just don't know what to expect going in and that's really bothering me," he confessed, his shoulders sagging and his head bowing.

"Baby…I don't know what to say. Do you want me to go with you or is this something you think you have to do on your own?" She knew from experience that he was a very independent and very prideful man and this might not be something he wanted her to hold his hand for.

"I have to do this by myself. But not because of my pride, but because meeting you is a privilege that she doesn't deserve. She doesn't just get to meet the best part of my life, she has to earn the right to," he told her with a slight smile curving her lips.

With reasoning like that, how could she argue? She leaned up on his tiptoes to capture his lips with hers, happy that he said she was the best part of his life. When they finally broke apart, she told him with regret that she had to go home to get ready for her shift later on. Not wanting her to leave, he offered her a pair of his scrubs to wear, but seeing as how he was bigger than her, that just wouldn't work. She promised to call before she went to sleep and also promised to come by tomorrow after his meeting with his mother. With one last kiss, he begrudgingly let her go.

* * *

Fitz was so nervous that his hands were shaking. He didn't want to admit that she affected him this way, that he wanted her to like the man that he turned out to be. That she was proud of him. He didn't want to get his hopes up only for them to be let down like every other time. Still, as he got closer and closer to the restaurant, he hoped against hope that he'd finally have at least one decent parent. He wasn't asking for Joan Clever, but damn, he didn't want Andrea Yates either. Okay, maybe that was a bit harsh, but still.

Pulling the door open to the restaurant, Fitz immediately spotted the woman who was once so familiar to him. She was of course older, her age starting to peak through all the beauty regiments she used to get herself looking as young as possible at her age. She had her hands clasped together, almost like she was praying, and she was staring out the big window in hopes of spotting her son before he came in. Fitz watched as she craned her head and searched through the throng of pedestrians crowding the side walk, her graying hair moving with her jerky movements. He felt almost happy that she was so engrossed in looking for him. It showed that she cared. Deciding to end the torture, both hers and his, he walked up to her table and cleared his throat.

Evelyn jumped at the sudden sound but as soon as she saw who it came from, tears welled up in her eyes and she immediately got up from her seat to embrace her son. She was much smaller than him but she did her best to embrace him, her arms going around his body in a way that had his arms pinned to his sides. She silently wept into his chest, murmuring mainly to herself how much she missed her baby boy. Fitz thought that this display was odd because she was never the affectionate type, but nevertheless, he freed an arm and wrapped it around her, rubbing her back in a soothing manner.

"I'm so sorry, I don't know what came over me," Evelyn said after some moments, wiping her eyes and coifing her hair.

"It's alright, we haven't seen each other a few years. This is bound to be emotional," he pacified, motioning for her to retake her seat as he took his.

"So how have you been?" she asked, trying to start a normal conversation as if they had just chatted last week.

Whatever, he'd play along for now. "I'm fine. Been working a lot," he replied, still not knowing how much of his life he wanted to share with her.

"Are you seeing any woman? Any grandkids in the near future?" She asked with a hopeful smile.

As if he'd let her in their life anyways. "Uh, yes, I'm seeing someone at the moment. She wanted to come today but I didn't think it would be a good idea."

Evelyn's face fell at that, but she soon brushed it off and resumed her questions. "I'm so proud of you, Fitz. I know that you made your dreams of being a doctor come true. My son the doctor. Dr. Fitzgerald Grant III," she tested the name out on her tongue, grinning from ear to ear.

Fitz scoffed at this. How dare she be proud of him, brag that her son was a doctor when she turned her back on him for that very reason? "Really? I thought the only thing that could make you and your husband proud was becoming president," he said pointedly and again her face fell.

"Fitz, you have to know how sorry I am about that, I mean really I am. I didn't think your father was serious and you know how he is once he lays down the law. It was an impossible situation," she tried to explain.

"Impossible? How hard was it? Either you could've taken my side for once in my life or you could've faded into the background and let someone else do your parenting for you like you've always done. I guess old habits die hard," he said, feeling his emotions, namely anger, start to rise.

"I know I wasn't the greatest mother, but you were grown by then. You no longer needed my parenting," she defended which only made Fitz madder.

"I was eighteen, just barely out of the house and you shunned me from the only thing I ever knew. While you and dad were nowhere near perfect, you were my parents, my only family, and you turned your back on me because I didn't do what you wanted," he raised his voice before settling back down.

"I'm sorry. I can't change the past, the only thing I can do is try to make it up to you now. And that's why I'm here. Like I said, I've been keeping tabs on you. I know that you're having some financial problems and I want to help. I've been stashing away some money in small amounts so that you father wouldn't notice and I finally have enough to get you out of your problems." Evelyn had the same tone and look that Olivia had when she offered to pay off his debt.

"Are you serious? I don't speak to you for eight year and a half years and the only reason you come back into my life is to assuage your guilt with a check." Fitz didn't get why nobody understood his need to do this on his own.

"You're just like your father you know. Both of you are stubborn and prideful. Fitz, let me be your mother and fix this for you. Let me make up for all the kisses I should have placed on your scraped knees, all the sandwiches with the crusts cut off I should have made, and all the hugs I should've given. I know this money won't make up for it, but at least it's a start."

"I only have one question; why now? You could've called me, wrote, email, texted, sent smoke signals, something. Why now?" After eight years, he had figured she forgotten about him, had moved on with her life as if she never had a child.

"I'm leaving your father. Like I said, I've been saving up and getting some things in order. I was in a bad place when you left, or rather, when we pushed you away. I started drinking more than a glass or two at dinner, I was depressed and wouldn't get out of bed for days at a time. I knew what we did was wrong but I didn't know how to stand up for you. To stand against your father. But I've started seeing a therapist and I'm my own person now and I want to be in your life," she pled.

Fitz listened carefully and thought everything she had just said and realized that she was a victim to his father just as much as he was. Although she was the adult, the parent in the situation, she didn't know how to stand up to him anymore than Fitz did. While he was in no way going to give her a pass for the twenty six years she wasn't a parent, he figured he could at least give her a chance from now on. And he'd start by accepting the money she was offering. If he could be debt free and stop stripping, he'd take it. Especially if that meant bettering his relationship with Olivia.

"Okay," was all he said, deciding to keep her in suspense just for the hell of it.

"Okay what? You're going to let me into your life? You're going to accept the money?" She asked, practically on the edge of her seat.

"Okay to both. I will accept your money and your presence in my life. But mom, I have to warn you, you are on a very thin rope," he told her, letting her know exactly where she stood with him.

"Oh Fitz, thank you so much. You won't regret it, I promise," his mother told him and rushed over to hug and kiss him.

Somehow, though, he already did.

* * *

"So how was your meeting with your mother?" Olivia asked over dinner that night.

"Surprisingly it went pretty well. She explained why she did what she did and apologized. I accepted, end of story," he said before popping a piece of chicken into his mouth.

"That can't be it. Are you going to see her again, what else did you guys talk about?" She asked before taking a sip of wine. Olivia didn't get why he was holding out on her.

"We talked about my dad a little bit, we talked about you for a second, oh and she offered to pay off the rest of my debt and I accepted," he said the last part as nonchalantly as possible.

Olivia nearly spit out her wine. He took the money that his mother offered him. What about all that macho, he-man bullshit that he was telling her when she offered to do exactly what he allowed his mother to do for him. She was irrationally angry at him and in some ways, felt betrayed. Like somehow he chose his mother over her. And on some levels, he did.

"I see," she said after she swallowed her wine and took another sip.

"Livi, don't be like that," Fitz said, picking up on her declining mood.

"Be like what, Fitz? All is said was 'I see.'" Olivia knew exactly what he meant but wasn't about to admit to it.

"Jealous and hurt that I accepted her help and not yours," he told her, not letting her evade the question.

"I'm not…"

"You are," he cut her off before she could deny it. "Baby, she's my mother. She's part the reason why I'm in this mess to begin with, its only right that she help me out of it. She said that it's time to for her to be a parent and isn't that what parent's do? Help their children out of their problems? How many times have your folks bailed you out?" Fitz paused to get her answer.

"Too many to count," she admitted, starting to see his point.

"I've never had that. And if this is going to help us then all the better. So Liv, don't focus on the fact that it wasn't you, but focus on the fact that I did this partly for you. For us," he said as his mouth quirked up a little on the side.

"You're right," she conceded.

"I'm sorry if I hurt you," Fitz said, motioning for her to come and sit on his lap.

She did, sauntering over, swaying her hips in the way she knew he liked. "You're forgiven, but you're definitely going to have to make it up to me," she smirked.

"Oh most definitely," he agreed, a devilish glint coming into his eyes. If only she knew…

* * *

"Baby…please…." Olivia whimpered, aching for relief.

He was killing her. Her nipples were tight and aching and she was so wet that she was sure she had soaked the sheets all the way through to the mattress. Her skin was so sensitive that the circulating fan about caused her to twitch every time a wisp of air drifted across her goose bump raised flesh. And he hadn't even touched her yet. He was kneeling at the end of the bed, whispering all of the dirty things he wanted to do to her body. How he wanted to suck her clit to the roof of his mouth until she was screaming his. How he wanted to run the head of his cock up her slit until she was begging for him. How he wanted to get in so deep, feel her clasping around him so hot and so tight, that he'd never come out. His deep, husky voice had her clutching the sheets and mashing her thighs together in an effort to relieve some of the throbbing because he wouldn't let her touch herself. Or rather, he wouldn't let her touch what was his.

"Please what?" He asked as if he were completely unfazed by her naked body yearning for his.

"Touch me…" she never thought that she'd have to beg for his touch, but this side of him was so sexy that she didn't mind.

"Touch you where?" The edge in his voice sent another tingle straight to her core.

She rolled her hips and lifted then slightly from the mattress, hoping to make her point clear without having to say it explicitly. But when he didn't move, she knew that he wanted words. "Touch my pussy baby," she moaned.

He dragged his index finger through her wet folds and her eyes rolled in the back of her skull. "Like that?" he asked, backing off after just one touch.

She needed more. So much more. "Fingers…" was all she was able to get out as he filled in the blanks. Both figuratively and literally as his fingers filled her aching channel.

Olivia was teetering, gritting her teeth, and groaning low in her throat. His thumb found her swollen nub, rubbing in hard circles designed to drive her crazy. Her hands went to breasts, tugging and twisting the tips to add that little something extra that she craved. Then she felt his mouth doing exactly what he said he wanted to do, pulling her clit into his mouth until she was creaming and calling his name. When she close, her mouth became just as filthy as his and she began telling him how good he felt.

"Oh god, right there….just like that," she moaned before biting in the pillow, one of her hands leaving her nipple to tangle itself in his hair. "Do that thing with your tongue, baby," she demanded, holding him securely in place.

He did, fluttering his tongue in her tight sheath until she climaxed so hard that she was sure she was going to get an aneurysm. But he didn't stop there. No. He kept going, trying to prove that he earned her forgiveness in the best and most pleasurable way possible. God he was so forgiven although at the moment, she couldn't even remember what he had done in the first place. Not being able to take it anymore, she pulled him away and pushed him on his back. Her eyes connected with his, lust glazed ones to lust glazed ones and she knew what he wanted. Knew what she wanted to offer. His pleasure. His pleasure in the way he gave so freely to her. And with that, she lowered her shaft, taking as much in as possible.

Now it was his turn to groan and clutch the sheets as she did to him what she had never done to another man. While she wasn't a pro, she knew enough to please him and she seemed to be doing a good job if the sounds he was making was any indication. Gliding her mouth back up, she swirled her tongue around the tip before going back down. She hollowed out her cheeks, drawing them in so tight she could feel his pulse. And that's when he had enough, pulling her and on top of him in one fluid motion.

But he didn't enter her. Not yet. No, he was going to make her ask for just like he said he would. He flexed her hips over his erection, stroking himself with her drenched lips in slow motions that dragged out their pleasure.

"Take me…" Olivia groaned, her head falling to the crook of his neck.

"With what?" Fitz asked, still moving her hips, making sure that the tip of his shaft hit her clit each and every time.

"With this," she said, reaching between their bodies to grip his hard, throbbing member, "with your cock."

That first slide in was always glorious, but this time it was something more. It was electric, shocking every part of her system and setting her body on fire. His arms came around her waist, hugging her tight to his body and helping to guide her movements. Her nails dug into his back and she kissed a path from his neck to his lips, needing to taste herself on them. She thrust her tongue into his mouth and accepted his into hers. She could kiss this man forever, it was just that good. She nipped at his bottom lip, tugging on it then licking it before kissing him again.

He was hitting her spot in the way only he could, raking over it again and again as each vein and ridge of cock scraped her sensitive walls. She rode him hard, grinding in his lap, twisting and swiveling her hips in a way that had them both calling out. She was getting lost in their passion, the only thing existing was him until her entire world centered on Fitz and the masterful way he thrust into her body over and over. Then she shattered, spasming and throwing her head while she cursed and called his name. She hot clasp of her pussy closed in on Fitz, making him lose control right along with her, dragging them both under until all they could do was moan and let the sensations take them over.

"I love you,"

"I love you, too…"

* * *

_A few weeks later_

"Babe, I was wondering if you wanted to meet my mom," Olivia brought up while they sat on his couch, flipping through channels hoping to find a channel.

They had been dating for a little while now and it seemed right that the two most important people in her life met. She glanced up from the crook of his arm to gage his expression and he seemed pleased by this idea. Good. She knew some guys were freaked out by the prospects of meeting their girlfriend's parents. She was happy that her man wasn't one of them.

"I think that'll be great. Actually, I was hoping to introduce you to my mother soon. Maybe we could do it at the same time, you know, take them to a nice restaurant or something," he pitched his idea.

Fitz and his mother had talked daily since she was back in his life. She moved to the D.C area, settling in Arlington Virginia which wasn't too far away. Fitz had helped her move into her place and had dinner with her at least once a week. Now that he was officially done with his stripping gig, except for the private dances he would give Olivia, he had a lot more time on his hands.

"I think that's a good idea. That way we can get it over all at once and I won't be too nervous because I'll have my mom there to defend me if Evelyn gets slick," Olivia joked, causing Fitz to laugh.

"Alright, well, tomorrow is Saturday and since neither of us have to work, I think that'll be the best time to do it. You call your mom and I'll call mine."

"Sounds like a plan to me…"

* * *

**An: Leave me a review telling me what you thought. Would you have forgiven you're mother? Would you have accepted her money? What do you think about her explanation. We got some sexy time. And finally, we're having a meeting with the parents in the next chapter. How do you think this will go. Don't ponder it too much though because I have no clue when the next update will be.**


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